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A friend of mine normally buys horse feed off him. To quote her... "If he's that crooked, he's probably ripping me off too, so I will be going elsewhere in the future" It always catches up on you, in my opinion. Liz

WOOHOO!!! yussss! welcome back the mighty AllStars oh tiz very happy I am thank gawd for that..... Cheers Iraklis

I personally find the public beat up on them so over the top its funny....they didn't hurt or kill anyone. They just behaved like self-entitled dicks.

Throw the book at them ...they would have known better.

I know not a sexy topic at all BUT.... the extension of noms has been thrashed out ,however when they had 135 noms on monday and now 120 their woolly thinking backfired..... I believe it is unfair on trainers /owners who do everything on time then others can peruse the noms and decide to race or not esp hard on maidens as preference can put in a late nom ahead of an existing nom. This is nowthe norm for noms... regardless of real need (135 ) Clubs need to stop the policy or extend to the next day all noms...

My guess, and just guesses (as I find the whole thing a side show and the Government are enjoying distraction) are. 1. He sells hay, so he would be able to get an essential service document to deliver hay under the animal welfare. 2. Animal welfare 3. She may have been down there before lockdown 4. I understand trying to get away with it. 5. Name suppression is easy to get for 24-48 hours, it then becomes more difficult. There are 2 million people in lockdown, 500 covid cases. 300 of them from Samoan church which I have presumed they are not part of. So chance of Covid are 0.01% They broke the 11th commandment: THY SHALL NOT GET CAUGHT

Mitey can you feel the Trump Derangement Syndrome coming on? I wonder if they have a vaccine for it, if so you and hokey will be lining up for it.

Yes, you have been added to a team. All will be revealed when I put up the entry thread tomorrow for Saturdays races.

I’m always in a hurry Neil, must be the bloody coffee…….makes me crazy too at times……

Hi Most of those horses requiring a 2000m (or 1800m) maiden, there will not be many, are probably ex Northerners any way Unfortunately Gore has no starting point between 1335 and 1800m As this is the first race meeting in Southland since when ever the programme meeting group, which does have Southland representation, would have decided 1335m was far enough Gore 24th September has 8 races programmed, I don't think any club has restrictions to only run 7 races. Only lack of horses produces 7 race programmes in SI, if 7 races have been programmed can you advise where and when, thanks.

The obvious answer is to send your horse to the Waikato, then you could accept for 5 or 6 races every week and just pick the one that suits you with the smallest field where you draw inside 3. It does strange that 13 horses accepted for the maiden 1,600m at Wingatui and then two weeks later nothing further than 1,335m for them at Gore. I hesitate to suggest incompetence, but it is the word that does spring quickest to mind. I doubt whether anybody at NZTR realises that the distance from Gore to ChCh is virtually the same as from Hamilton to Wgtn. Someone mentioned 7 race programmes: that isn't because of the lack of horses, it's because of the lack of imagination.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/racing-new-zealands-greatest-harness-trainer-making-early-return/QJSQ2FIYIB7YL46F36A5VCOWTI/

Add him in ponderosa if there is a space...cheers

Who cares about all that crap? Hell it suits the Government to have all the minions and morons directing their attention to an elite couple rather than directing their wrath where it should lie. How many of us have broken some of the Covid-19 rules and cast the first stone?

How likely is it that there will be an impartial judge at their hearing, when the judiciary is similar to a 'closed shop' work-place and they seem to be beyond reproach? Read somewhere recently about the Judicial Conduct Commissioner but, as I recall, he/she is not very busy - like nobody has ever been censured? As usual, remorse is only needed when you are caught.

The problem with this case is that they stayed in a house at Wanaka owned by Tony & Judge Jo Boshier…Tony is a lawyer and ex cop, Jo is a retired judge The joint owners of the house are Robert Willis ( William Willis’s father ) and Matawhio, as in Matawhio Sports horses, a Karaka based company owned by…..Judge Mary-Beth Sharp, Williams mother The QC acting for them is the high profile Rached Reid, said to be the daughter of Michael Read QC ( I haven’t had that verified ) So we have an entitled couple, with very close connections to more than one judge, a retired cop, and one of the judges has “considerable history” The critical questions that should be asked though are 1. How did William Willis get an essential worker document, he’s an equestrian with a hay cutting business on the side ( Hannah Walmsley can because all criminal barristers get them automatically ) but someone fiddled the system to get William a pass….who did that, who signed that, and what’s on that document ? 2. who actually let them through the border and why ?, they can’t have had an urgent case south of the Bombay Hills 3. Who is the lady who was staying at the same house in Wanaka, she’s described as tallish, 5’11”, elegant, early sixties, with dark short hair 4. why didn’t they ‘fess up straight away ? 5. which District Court judge gave then interim suppression and what’s that judges relationship with Mary-Beth Sharp, if any I can’t help thinking there’s a lot left in this story yet

Arc Trials day at Longchamp and the racing took place on ground described as Good. The Group 1 feature was the Vermeille over 2400m for which the English, Irish and Yorkshire Oaks heroine SNOWFALL went off at 1/5. Prix Vermeille: A huge upset as SNOWFALL was turned over by TEONA who won a Listed race at Windsor last time having finished twenty eight lengths behind SNOWFALL at Epsom (the gap had only been four and a half lengths in the Musidora back in May). So what happened? I've a few thoughts - I wonder if SNOWFALL was a bit short of work - she didn't look unfit by all accounts but perhaps Aidan left her a gallop short. I thought she hung right-handed in the straight - was the ground quick enough for her? I also thought Frankie was very kind when he realised she couldn't get to TEONA and that kindness could be repaid in three weeks if the ground comes up soft. The proximity of the pace setter LA JOCONDE suggests it was more like a typical French race than it might have appeared. The immediate beneficiary is Derby winner ADAYAR who stayed in his box and has seen his price shorten for the Arc. TARNAWA is favourite after her fine run in the Irish Champion. BOLSHOI BALLET was ruled out of the Niel owing to the gap between his flu vaccinations being too long under French rules. PRETTY TIGER was backed into odds on but he also flopped coming home last behind BUBBLE GIFT. I thought the runner up BABY TIGER ran a reasonable Arc trial. The Foy saw the Japanese remind us why they are such a force in world racing. DEEP BOND, who was fourth in the Japanese Derby and fifth in the Leger to the champion CONTRAIL, made all to beat the Grand Prix de Saint Cloud winner BROOME a length and a half. SKALLETI failed finishing a well beaten fourth. Just worth noting the Japanese star CHRONO GENESIS is 12/1 for the Arc and you'd think on decent ground she'd have a real chance.

Sunday was a really busy day with significant races in both Ireland and France. At The Curragh, it was the second and final day of Irish Champions Weekend and the ground remained on the fast side of good. Four Group 1 events and plenty of shocks and surprises. The Flying Five over 1000m saw WINTER POWER sent off favourite to follow up her Nunthorpe success: Flying Five: The Curragh is much stiffer than York so where WINTER POWER could blitz a sub-57 second 1000m there, it's more like a minute at The Curragh and those three seconds just mean she can't hold on. I thought GLASS SLIPPERS was going to prevail 200m down and I just wonder if she needed this to bring her to peak for the Abbaye early next month. Nonetheless, she was run down close home by ROMANTIC PRPOSAL and A CASE OF YOU. The two were priced 16/1 and 33/1 respectively and the winner was rated 13 lbs inferior to WINTER POWER so this was a right boil over. DRAGON SYMBOL never quite got involved but acquitted himself reasonably in fourth - I just wonder if he's done enough for the season. The one to take out of the race was ROHAAN who once again completely blew the start and was a long way off the others after 200m. The fact he ended up beaten two lengths which was much less than the ground lost at the start makes me think he was the best in the race - I wonder if they'll risk him in the Abbaye where the likelihood of favoured slow ground is offset by the fact the race is only 950m so there's no margin for error from a tardy start. WINTER POWER finished worse than mid-division and it's clear she will always be worth opposing on anything other than a flat track on fast ground. The Moyglare is the championship race for the juvenile fillies over 1400m. Debutante winner AGARTHA was well fancied as was the filly who beat her on debut, HOMELESS SONGS. Moyglare Stud Stakes: DISCOVERIES is a full to Alpha Centauri and if she ends up doing what her sister did as a 3-y-o, she's a champion in the making. I suspect the better ground explained the four and a half length turn round in form with the runner up AGARTHA from the Debutante. The runner up will always be a force on slow ground while DISCOVERIES will likely want it quick. To be fair, I thought SUNSET SHIRAZ ran an excellent race on the ground and she's definitely one to note in the middle distance category. I also wouldn't rule out HOMELESS SONGS - this was only her second run and she will have learned a lot from this. The favourite, CAIRDE GO DEO, ran as though there was something not quite right and was eased off close home. The National is the equivalent to the Moyglare for the colts and the favourite was the unbeaten POINT LONSDALE from the Aidan O'Brien yard but he faced an intriguing challenge from the British raider, NATIVE TRAIL: National Stakes; There was no fluke about this decisive victory for NATIVE TRAIL and he goes to the Dewhurst as the 6/4 favourite and looking to be at the top of the pecking order among the juvenile colts. Indeed, his narrow defeat of MASEKELA in the Superlative had been boosted when BAYSIDE BOY, who had just lost out to MASEKELA, turned over REACH FOR THE MOON and LUSAIL. POINT LONSDALE looks to be screaming out for 1600m already and is a Derby prospect rather than a Guineas horse. Let's not forget EBRO RIVER is also a Group 1 winner and he was beaten four lengths by the winner. I'm not convinced he didn't get the 1400m but he was no match for the winner who is a very interesting prospect. NATIVE TRAIL is by Oasis Drama out of Needleloaf, an unraced mare out of Observatory who died a couple of years back and raced at 1600-2000m. I would think NATIVE TRAIL would get 1600m and 2000m but no further and he's clearly the leading 2000 Guineas horse on this evidence. Finally, the Melbourne Cup Trial - also known as the Irish St Leger over 2800m. Irish St Leger: Not a dry eye in the house as ex-jockey Johnny Murtagh saddled his first classic winner with Ebor winner SONNYBOYLISTON who battled it out with TWILIGHT PAYMENT down the straight. To be fair, SONNYBOYLISTON is half TWILIGHT PAYMENT's age and I just wonder if that made the difference. I'm not sure if SONNYBOYLISTON's future lies in Australia but TWILIGHT PAYMENT put up a fine effort and will make a decent attempt to retain his Melbourne Cup. My each way bet on BARON SAMEDI paid back a little in third - I thought he was going well enough 400m down but could never quite get in a challenge. I expect we'll see him in the Cup races next year. KING OF THE CASTLE ran a huge race in fourth seeing he had been beaten in a handicap last time. Last year's winner SEARCH FOR A SONG hasn't quite returned to those form levels and was a little disappointing in sixth while MASTER OF REALITY trailed home last.

Thanks from me for supporting my babblings as well. Much appreciated and a comment from you would always be welcome.

It is indeed. They hold meetings through the summer especially in August when they race Monday, Wednesday and Friday while the main Deauville course races Tuesdays, Thursdays and at the weekend. Deauville-Clairefontaine is about five minutes by road from Deauville-La Touques (the official name for the track which stages races like the Rothschild, Maurice de Gheest and Marois) and if you want a racing holiday, it's highly recommended. Clairefontaine has jumps races which the other Deauville track doesn't and is a much more relaxed and informal setting. I think they have both a regular steeplechase circuit and a cross-country (French cross-country chases can get a little chaotic with the jockeys not sure where they are going and loose horses here, there and everywhere).

its quite amazing how, people are thinking the current LAW, is just and right.. ITS NOT JUST OR RIGHT!!! you again fall into the labotomised Mainstream narrative WAKE UP!!

Jimmy Shaw is "trialling" home isolation back from Glasgow. Hows That?

Hes got Covid now wants the vaccine Natural immunity is unparalleled as the Data from Israel now proves Multiple strokes pre ‘Covid’ and wasn’t thinking about Supplementing with Vitamin D and Zinc with potential other proven therapeutics as a Prophylaxis. Must be a Biden /Harris supporter

It happens Punto, some weeks you get the gaps and others the brick wall, every warrior has their day

Dave a good one for your horse would be KIA TERE. Mahi is OK but Mahi Mahi not. what about Porangi? I went to a school was 90% Maori. Learned some - and learned how to fight. I knew about being in a minority.

Several years ago a slow racehorse was named Kurikai.

I saw a MAGA bumper sticker down my road yesterday. Make Ardern Go Away.... might have to find one.

The landslide victory by Bill McDonald should be a clear message to the board that the kindred bodies have had enough. The immediate past chairman gone. Unfortunately one person isn't going to change anything but hopefully it sends a clear message to the rest

Just a suggestion - put your horse in the 65. Has been done plenty of times, with some success. Not that 1800 constitutes a 'staying' race...but still...have a go and see if you get a start. Send NZTR a map while you are at it.

One thing for sure if they hung him for being a "superior tipster" they would have been hanging an innocent man

Sidenote: Rough Habit scored $2,881 and lost their Head to Head while Balmerino scored $2,186.80 and Won their Head to Head (then had the $250 winning bonus added to that to give $2,436.80).....gee thats a bit of a rough result, hope it doesnt start becoming a habit

Leopardstown yesterday staged the first day of Irish Champions Weekend on watered Good ground. The Champion Stakes looked a serious horse race with the 3-y-o ST MARK'S BASILICA and POETIC FLARE taking on tough mare TARNAWA. Irish Champion Stakes: I backed the third and lost money but what a fantastic horse race. I really thought Kevin Manning had sealed the race 300m down but Ryan Moore got ST MARK'S BASILICA running, albeit not in a straight line and that certainly did TARNAWA no favours. A stewards' inquiry was called but under the Irish rules, Moore had his whip in the correct hand and no interference took place so the result stood. I realis in other jurisdictions ST MARK'S BASILICA would have been disqualified. I've not seen the sectionals but the last 400m looked incredibly quick and with the time 5.6 seconds above Standard, I suspect they crawled and sprinted home. Given that's how they run in France where ST MARK'S BASILICA had won the Poulains and the Jockey Club, I don't suppose I can be surprised he relished the way the race was run. Let's not take anything away from the winner - he's added the Eclipse and now the Irish Champion to an impressive roll and he is the dominant force at 2000m. He's 2/1 for the Champion Stakes at Ascot in five weeks and if the ground is easy and assuming the exploits here haven't taken their toll you'd have to fancy him. TARNAWA ran a huge race in defeat - had Keane challenged inside, would he have won? We'll debate that for a long time but she proved, contrary to what I expected, totally adept at 2000m as she is at 2400m. She's now 3/1 favourite for the Arc and although ADAYAR and SNOWFALL will give her a real race, my fear is this race will have taken the edge off her but we'll see in three weeks. POETIC FLARE lost second on the post - I'm not sure the race was run to suit him but it enabled him to get the trip. He's in the Queen Elizabeth II on Champions Day. He and TARNAWA should have finished level on the ratings and both were supposedly 5 lbs inferior to ST MARK'S BASILICA. I'd make that more like 1-2 lbs if I'm being honest but to see three 120+ performers put up a race like that was just wonderful. The other Group 1 on the card was the Matron for the fillies and mares for which English 1000 Guineas winner MOTHER EARTH went off a short priced favourite. Matron Stakes: Not for the first time, it got pretty rough up the short Leopardstown straight and as Shane Foley applied maximum pressure to NO SPEAK ALEXANDER, she hung left and did those on her inside, including MOTHER EARTH, no favours, The stewards took no action but I thought Foley did little to stop his horse hanging and he was arguably lucky to keep it. At 25/1, the only others celebrating were the bookies. PEARLS GALORE had won a couple of Group 3 races so this was a big step forward. MOTHER EARTH was, I thought, unlucky and I can only imagine how annoyed Ryan Moore was by all that. I certainly wouldn't be put off backing her for an Australian race on this evidence but like all horses, sometimes she needs a little luck in running. EMPRESS JOSEPHINE put up a better effort in fourth. The combination of trainer Jessica Harrington and jockey Shane Foley followed up in the Group 2 Boomerang Mile with REAL APPEAL just proving too strong for British raider FEV ROVER and Aidan O'Brien's HOROSCOPE. MAC SWINEY weakened tamely in the final 200m but nothing was found in a post-race medical. The Group 2 Juvenile over 1600m saw another bunch finish with the first five split by a length. ATOMIC JONES kept his unbeaten record and looks a nice prospect just defeating Ryan Moore on STONE AGE and ABSOLUTE RULER who got me my each way money back.

A tremendous Saturday of action in both the UK and Ireland. I'll start at Doncaster where a 25,000 crowd turned up for Leger day. Overnight rain had turned the ground Good to Soft, Soft in places. The favourite for the final classic was HURRICANE LANE who, having run third in the English Derby behind ADAYAR and MOJO STAR, won the Irish Derby and the Grand Prix de Paris. On the ratings, he was 6 lbs in front of these and was sent off 4/5 favourite. St Leger: This was a thoroughly dominant performance from a class act. He saw out he trip on the slower ground and it was the only race on the card which returned a time faster than standard - he ran the 2800m in 3 minutes 4 seconds and change - an extraordinary effort. In any other year, he'd be hailed as the champion 3-y-o colt but in a year with ST MARK'S BASILICA (of whom much more in the next contribution) and ADAYAR, he's just on the podium. MOJO STAR looked superb in the paddock and chased the winner home confirming the strength of the English Derby - arguably the strongest renewal since 2015. You could imagine MOJO STAR in the big staying races next year while I suspect HURRICANE LANE will stay at 2400m. THE MEDITERRANEAN showed his Voltigeur run to be no fluke while INTERPRETATION couldn't sustain the strong gallop. HURRICANE LANE is 5/1 for the Arc but the connections also have ADAYAR so will he go as well? I'm not sure the Breeders Cup Turf would be ideal as this horse is a strong galloper and it may be he'll be put away for a serious 4-y-o campaign. Of the others, the main disappointments were HIGH DEFINITION and OTTOMAN EMPEROR, neither of whom got involved. Earlier, a small but select field turned up for the Group 2 Champagne Stakes over 1400m for the juveniles. Champagne Stakes: Many had expected Frankie Dettori to steer home the royal runner REACH FOR THE MOON but I suspect having to make his own pace wasn't what Dettori wanted but it's what he must have feared. His colt's strength is his stamina while LUSAIL's strength is his speed. However, LUSAIL looked ill at ease on the ground but that set up REACH FOR THE MOON to be mugged close home by BAYSIDE BOY. I'm not sure talk of "burst bubbles" is quite fair - to me, REACH FOR THE MOON has always looked a Derby rather than a Guineas horse. To be honest, I'm not even sure the Derby he wins next year is at Epsom - he looks tailor made for The Curragh and for the 2022 Leger. BAYSIDE BOY was having only his third run and his narrow defeat to MASEKELA at Newbury looks better than it seemed at the time and he's now 7/2 for the Dewhurst in a month. The proximity of the third, TWILIGHT JET, has also raised some questions but he's rated 103 and has mixed it with all the Group 1 juvenile winners including EBRO RIVER and PERFECT POWER so not perhaps as bad as some suggested initially. In the Group 2 Park, the ground had gone against LANEQASH but up popped GLORIOUS JOURNEY for a convincing win. I'm not sure geldings can run in the Foret but I think he'll be heading to Saudi Arabia for the Turf Sprint at the end of January.

The next one coming Chitty is Your a Racist The TDS is about to kick in with these MORONS. I would like to be as sure as winning lotto.

@Ohokaman The irony of it all is Judges Bay is known in the past to have had a young toddler who was drowning rescued by a passing Matrix Security Guard, an Indian National drowning there a couple of summers ago, high levels of pollutants, being closed bc of high levels of bacteria and sewage and a location of concern not to swim in as a result, Pacific Island community swimming there in the summer months along with all those who frequent the Parnell Swimming Pools which one can venture past to get there. There's the nearby Parnell Rosegardens which hold an annual Festival which has been thrown into disarray, others, including tourists, used to utilize the BBQ facilities in the background of this video and have been unable bc of Wiles etc These locations were all out of bounds to everyone to swim in or gather to have a BBQ, and enjoy bc of Rules endorsed by Wiles, Baker, Bloomfield, Miss Ardern and others in the height of a New Zealand summer when it's reasonable and sensible to be outdoors getting healthy in March 2020 and at times this past summer bc of this Susanna Wiles also known as Siousxie Wiles who ensured we had a so called State of Emergency that has destroyed the People of New Zealand and those who come here Public Health. There's one of the first Churches established in Auckland, NZ on the hill where many who founded the very Laws and foundations of NZ are buried who lived through real epidemics and lack of sanitation, hospitals been non-existent and a Doctor who was educated in Medicine rode a horse on Bridle tracks to see the sick and unwell. May those who must be turning in their graves on those slopes, hold the powers to ensure Miss Wiles and her friend Nicola Gaston are held to account under. Ahh, yes Note, it's JUDGES BAY

Thanks Scooby and thanks guys. Back home now and resting up. Will be all good in a few days. Got more time to study the form.

Oh I didn't realise that you were the head censor. What are the rules?

That would explain the hair…

Her Phd was studying bioluminescent bacteria i.e bacteria that glows in the dark. Bacteria and viruses are as similar as Dairy Farming and Fish Farming.

Hope you are on the mend redrew2000. I see Scooby has given dispensation which is nice and fair given the circumstances

It was already divided. Fake News. Choose a country that hasn't. Of course the world is now pumping themselves full of the vaccines that Trump's Operation Warp Speed produced. Are you anti-rich? I gather you are inherently a socialist therefore you support taxing the rich more to give to the poor. I gather you are in the latter class? Did the opposite actually but don't let facts get in the way of your narrative. He had nothing to do with that - just as he had nothing to do with the Antifa and BLM riots and State wide insurrection. Hardly "thrown out" - 72 million voted for him.

Thanks for letting me know..you won't be thrown out under the companion rule LOL.

Listen to the man ( straight out of Justified )……”Bad to the bone….” https://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/09/us/hazard-kentucky-covid-19-surge/index.html

The correct strategy is learning to live with it. These people, basking in their newfound glory and self-importance, aided and abetted by a compliant media, need to exit stage left. And the quicker the better. We’ve had enough of them and their supercilious nonsense. They don’t live in the real world, our world, or the world of business. Like the government, they have no understanding of it, which is why they’ve been allowed to get away with it. Between the lot of them, this country is now in a sorry state. Things are going to get worse economically before they get better. Vaccinations will help but Covid will not go away any more than the ‘flu will. The irony of this whole shambles is the flu will kill far more Kiwis each year than Covid. If you want to put Covid in perspective that’s it. Not forgetting the tragedy of the 600 plus who take their own lives annually. This government, bound up in ideology and control is going to have a lot to answer for in the future. But it won’t be their problem. As always it’s the other lot who have to clean up the mess. One thing is for sure, this gormless crowd won’t have a clue how it all happened. And, of course, it won’t be their fault. “Get an understanding of business….?.” We won’t have any by the time that happens……

Yep, the nutters are on the march……

The promoters of Vaccines throwing up their Curriculum Vitae's as though it has some relevance, when treating someone who has endured Covid.... and then Nek minit Kids are getting the Jab. Nz better start waking up!!

I think those of us who didn’t drop out of Uni can see the argument I have is compelling Science is science, mRNA and similar technology is rock solid, it’s a scientific fact that vaccination reduces infection rates, reduces hospitalization rates, reduces morbidity, and reduces the spread of the virus If you can’t understand that you should maybe put that bottle down, and go bury your head in some text books, or read some papers from, for example, The Lancet Even a dropout can understand this Hospitalisation among vaccine breakthrough COVID-19 infections - The Lancet Infectious Diseases https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(21)00558-2/fulltext

Here's the stats in NZ as of Wednesday 8-9-21. 855 delta covid cases 702 of these were unvaccinated - 83% 115 had had 1st vaccine shot - 13% 38 had had both shots - 4% Simple, if you dont want Covid get Vaccinated.

1962.

Tribute by Dave McCarthy DENIS NYHAN -A PERSONAL TRIBUTE Denis Nyhan’s passing saddens, partly because it is another wrench from a vintage racing era but also because that while people understandably highlight his feats with Lordship and Robalan they were only two aspects of a full racing life, well lived. The bold move to strip Robalan of his hopples at a time when free legged horses were so rare that “Robbie” is the only one to win a NZ Cup, was the most publicised example but not the only one. Robalan was also the first to win 12 races in one season breaking a record set in the early 1940’s and which were not in open class .His was a memorable Horse of the Year title beating age group pacing sensation ,Noodlum; Arapaho, and Young Quinn. Many voters would relish those sort of options today- fans even more so. Denis’s life was shaped around two major influences; his parents, Don and Doris,and his wife and best friend Denise. An expert horsewoman in her own right, the daughter also of a famous trainer in Billy Doyle, Denise was a dedicated wife and mother essential in the early days when working with horses during the day and places like a carpet factory at night was standard procedure for many young horsemen. Denis often paid tribute to her support, and acknowledged how in everything but name she was a full training partner with an affinity with horses he much admired and a work ethic even he struggled to match From his parents he inherited a powerful work ethic, modesty in triumph;loyalty; respect for others ; high personal and professional standards and a preference for the quiet life.He was given responsibility as a teenager for travelling colts together to the North Island one being Ricochet one of his first drives and a horse he much admired. Like them he never sought, much less promoted a public profile, and when persuaded to dwell on personal triumphs it was always about the horses concerned for Denis and Denise, their own contribution minimised. Posed photos are not plentiful and a bowed head from the driver often accompanied Robalan back to the birdcage along with the customary sun glasses. Asking him to compare champions was not a recommended question. The couple could often also be seen at the parade ring at Riccarton admiring the stars of the galloping turf, content in their own company. Horses and family were their life. In an era of inflated prices for exports the Nyhan champions were never for sale. After a few early excursions Denis largely gave up betting on the outcome of horse races after realising the truth of the the ancient betting maxim “even when you know you never really know” He was not at ease in large social situations.An innate shyness caused a long delay in asking for a first date with Denise- fortunately with a happy ending. Many will still remember the special levels of preparation and presentation by the Nyhans which helped propel both Johnny Globe and Lordship to public acclaim rarely matched today. A spell in the States brought Denis an often expressed admiration for the style of legends such as Eddie Cobb and Stanley Dancer and deepened his commitment to their professionalism,down to the gloves that were always part of his driving equipment. Denis could be said to have had a somewhat volatile personality. A confrontation with an equally strong willed Brother Maurice had brought about an abrupt end to his secondary education at Xavier College after two years. However if one could absorb the initial blasts at the targets of the day serenity usually soon returned. Multiple offences however could place you on the “schooling list” .He was self aware of those shortcomings and critics but maintained point of view was important. Never a “hail fellow well met” person socially outside his inner circle Denis was capable of strong analysis of most situations, especially in racing administration where he made an impression as a long time Harness Racing Board delegate and handicapping expert. High expectations of truth, honesty and performance and emphasis on “structures and procedures” caused him critical frustration when he considered they were lacking. He liked and respected his owners (Van Glory’s Nick Matyasevic was a special favourite) as his father had done and conducted his stable with similar integrity.It was a big financial call to buy into Robalan as it was not to sell but in the end it paid off in spades. Due to a wide selection of variously credible phone sources-never named beyond “one of my contacts tells me” -he retained an interest in administration and a bit more interest in trotting gossip than he liked to admit. His calls to officialdom were treated with respect if not always warmth. To some extent he pined for a harness racing atmosphere of his younger years that had receded as sport widened into big business. He was a strong supporter of country clubs. On the racecourse,before and during the event Denis was cool and astute and while as a green youngster driving Lordship in the Derby he had been suspended for using his whip to persuade a rival horseman to remove his grip on the colt’s sulky shaft,there was no regret. “Well what would you have done?” was his response. Robalan Denis turned from an injury riddled enigma into a champion, He is one of only two horses to win three successive NZ Free for Alls and in all Denis won five. That included one of his coolest drives when Lordship downed the great Cardigan Bay in the 1962 Free for All after making a rare mistake at the start - much to the cheer of his huge Addington fan club. Great racing days. Once well established on the property that was the result of hard work as much as any silver spoon, the stable opted for a select racing team and relatively few starters, often home bred in more recent times. Denis was a popular free lance driver, his analysis of a race helpful to trainers. Robert Dunn Richard Brosnan Ben Grice Ruling Lobell.Ces Donald,Bill Roberts, Jack Smolenski,neighbours Billy and Graeme Hunt, the Shinn brothers,and Allan Cross (Del’s Dream) were just some of them. He made a point of never ringing to ask for a drive. When he made history in 1962 with Lordship in winning an open class free for all at Addington as a three year -a feat not matched for more than 20 years- Denis was 23, had had his first drive in1955 and had had less than 30 wins even in a family backed stable.It reflects a different world for junior drivers then who had to wait,sometimes for years, to get their chance. When they got it they were good. He trained many fine horses and names like Van Glory (Standardbred Breeders,North Island Oaks );Hal Good (Dominion; Canterbury Park Trotting Cup) ,Eclipse,Dingle Bay, Phillipino, His Nibs, Honkin Vision, Individual, Hobart Lord,Take for Granted,Somerset Gold and a host of others often home-bred or by the Doyle sisters,mostly trotters, were among them.Beside the triumphs of Lordship and Robalan he won a Rowe Cup driving Cee Ar; NZ Oaks with Ruling Lobell; an Ashburton Cup with Balgove and features with several others that were Group level races at the time. He could be critical of people but almost always had a kind word for the horses. Fast cars and quick trips were a hobby in earlier years until a hot Holden disappearing in central Christchurch one evening sapped that enthusiasm. Denis regarded home-bred Relinquish as one of the most underrated of the trotting team. The stable’s last three winners were all from Total Perception, a good winning daughter of Look whose foals the Doyle sisters shared.They were Total Exposure,With Intent and The Fox. The last named is back in work with Margot after being a frustrating project for Denis and Denise over several years. With Intent was a truly outstanding mare whose career was affected by muscular problems. Denis showed some old time placing skills posting twice as many second placings (26) as wins without anything looking untoward ( though I sometimes inquired what had caused the injury to his right arm -which he described as “very cruel”) and she was the last star of the stable. She is still breeding and has a likely type going into training. The racing scene has changed significantly since the heyday of Denis Nyhan but by the high standards he set himself his record remains of a very high calibre.Outright champions in successive decades in the era of highly competitive open class ranks was itself remarkable. Denis, 82, had been in ill health with kidney related problems for some time though not in serious condition until near the end. Of him it can be said that he inherited a rich legacy and added to its value. He would have asked for no more than that. Nor could we.