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Very sensible post Chik. On a slightly different tack, the engagement of consultants referred to in this Stamina project worries me - I have always thought that in any business people are employed in leading roles for their technical skills and understanding of the business employing them, so why can’t they do the job?

Since Max has gone MIA with his daily afternoon updates...here is the running totals after week 3...some in including me need to pull our socks up. Foxmerts $293 Dogzstar $194 Blaird $187 Fredd $156 barryb $154 Peter RS $145 Littletramp $138 Al Feilding $131 Gubellini $118 Reacher $115 Montydrum $111 Floyd Pink $102 Idolmite $79 Insider $77 Pegasus $75 Seakem $69 Pottsie $66 Sayer $66 Pak Star $60 Ponderosa $56 We're Doomed $51 Manfield $50 Scooby $44 Black Kirrama $43 Pheroz $43 Catalano $40 Lucasduke $37 Goodison $36 Basil brush $31 nomates $31 Mr gee $26 Kiwignome $24 Blue Duck $21 Majestic $20 Maximus $20 Richie $20 Toddy $20 Baz $19 Kloppite $19 rdytdy $17 Say No More $17 Double R $13

Great to see Smug get his just desserts today. Congratulations to Chris and all concerned.

Pacers final draw: Trotter final draw: hey it's not bad for our 2 boys Cheers Iraklis

Littletramp takes week 4 honours with their $115 collect. The top 3 in the cumulative standings remain unchanged but Foxmerts extends their lead (total now $293), followed by Dogzstar ($194) and Blaird ($187).

Gotta laugh when Trackside can't spell the poor bookie's name correctly. It's Grimstone chaps .

Oscar has nothing to prove. He's served a few mares so possibly his mind isn't quite on the job now. I thought I hear JC say Pinseeker wore a spreader and this trip was a learning curve on Aussie tracks. May be a better horse next year.

Remiss of me to say I really feel for the unlucky rider at Trentham Michael Roustoby...he was treated really badly and used as the fall guy by the stewards...yes he made a mistake but so did the course managers...but he has now lost a win in a feature race.

Are you telling me you really don't get any of this ? Well join F#$KEN club .

I asked AI to do it for them. It took 2.3 secs. NZTR Industry Sustainability Plan (2025–2030) Vision: To ensure the long-term sustainability of New Zealand’s thoroughbred racing industry through ethical, environmental, and economically responsible practices — delivering value to horses, people, communities, and the country. Strategic Objectives Domain Objective Equine Welfare Ensure the health, safety, dignity, and lifecycle support of all racehorses Environmental Reduce environmental impact of training, racing, and breeding Economic Resilience Build financial sustainability and efficiency in club and industry operations Social License Maintain community trust, public support, and workforce wellbeing 1. Equine Welfare and Lifecycle Responsibility Goals: Promote best-practice care, injury prevention, and post-racing outcomes. Monitor and report horse health and traceability. Enhance NZTR’s licensing, auditing, and aftercare programs. Key Actions: Mandate the 5 Domains of Animal Welfare across all clubs and trainers. Expand the TiES series and fund second-career transition grants. Establish a National Thoroughbred Aftercare Fund (industry and levy supported). Complete roll-out of regional equine crematoriums (North & South Island). Launch a national racehorse tracking and data reporting system (via microchips). 2. Environmental Sustainability and Climate Readiness Goals: Reduce carbon and waste footprints of racecourses and training centres. Adapt facilities to climate risk (e.g., heat stress, storm resilience). Promote sustainable land and water practices on stud and training farms. Key Actions: Require all race clubs to complete a Toitū or equivalent baseline audit by 2026. Fund a “Green Track Upgrade Programme”: LED lighting, water recycling, solar. Publish NZTR’s Carbon and Waste Report (annually from 2026). Encourage eco-certification of transporters, stables, and feed suppliers. Partner with Mana Whenua to align land and water practices with Te Ao Māori values. 3. Economic Sustainability and Industry Modernisation Goals: Deliver consistent income and prize money to retain trainers and owners. Improve cost-efficiency across race clubs and operations. Leverage Entain–TAB partnership and digital innovation to grow wagering. Key Actions: Move to a two-tier race meeting system (Premier and Standard) with flat stakes. Complete a full venue utilisation and ROI audit across all clubs by 2026. Incentivise club mergers or collaborations based on financial and social returns. Deliver track infrastructure master plan with HRNZ (Project Stamina). Develop a national “Sustainability Innovation Fund” for club-led pilots (solar, composting, etc.) 4. Social License, Workforce & Community Impact Goals: Foster respect, safety, and diversity within the racing workforce. Communicate industry value to the public and racing communities. Build trust through transparency and ethical leadership. Key Actions: Introduce minimum employment and safety standards across training stables. Launch industry mental health and wellbeing support fund (riders, staff, owners). Partner with schools, iwi, and rural community orgs to promote racing pathways. Run annual “Thoroughbred Week” in major cities (parades, open stables, TiES shows). Publish public-facing reports on welfare, injuries, and aftercare outcomes. Implementation & Monitoring Action Frequency Responsible Party Annual Sustainability Report Yearly (starting 2026) NZTR + external auditor Progress Review Bi-annually NZTR Board + Welfare/Infra Committees Stakeholder Engagement Forum Annually Clubs, trainers, HRNZ, mana whenua Club Certification Tracker Live dashboard NZTR Industry Sustainability Unit

Trackside must look at Racecafe. Name is now correct on screen.

yes great result its poetic justice and congrats to Chris and his team. One part of me wanted him to win but the other part of me wanted the champ to hang on...great finish virtually just a bob of the head after 4800m.

I think that is becoming more and more clear.

Would love Mark to drive him himself . That man is the best i've ever seen. and I saw Wolfie drive lol. maybe he will now Oscar is misbehaving ? I'm just staggered really. There is rarely been in harness history a horse that goes into some Big races where the opponents just have No Plan , that could work to beat him. They are out there with no chance of winning, while driving nice horses. Must be a horrid feeling when he looms alongside. Handicap racing used to keep them honest. and the Greatest horses were put off long handicap marks. I laughed one day when they threw Leap To Fame in a stand ( not many are run here at all ) to prepare him for the Nz Cup last Nov. so he started off 30m behind. then at the race end he was 30m in front of the field lol. So not even that worked. He's just an Awesome horse. That Cambridge win against NZ's best too , earlier this year in the Betcha Race. incredible stuff.

So true PS but the drive prior to this was a shocker and should have come out on the corner . I just hope we see the true Oscar next time And what about Leap to Fame just wow . He is such an exciting horse to watch

What I was trying to say is that you need to identify the issues first before trying to find solutions, and to identify the issues you first need to define what you want racing to look like. To someone who wants a hyper-focused, high-prizemoney industry with all racing conducted north of Rotorua, the issue is we have all these unnecessary racetracks south of there and the solution is to flog them all off to boost prizemoney at Ellerslie. To someone who wants 95% of kiwis to live within 30km of at least one racemeeting every year, the issue is we have a lot of missing coverage and the solution is to return to running meetings at some tracks we've moved away from.

Leap to Fame is unbelievable and should win it for fun, but does that marble make it slightly tricky? If the others drop back and think they can catch him they are no chance, so surely the likes of Petes Said So / Catch A Wave come out with their arses alight and possibly put him 3 deep? LTF has high speed too of course, but for memory not so much in the first 400? I guess Dixon will have him pretty keyed up to avoid such a happening though.

Blue, Cox said in an interview for AusHarness, 'that he (Pinseeker) was kickin the wheels, somethin he's done before just not this bad' doh, if he's done it before and you know it, why not move his cart? I mean he aint exactly a small horse he's good size; that aside I like Pinseeker, I think he's gutsy sort of dude and I hope he does come back better.... Janitor mate, Bet N Win off front again and Oscar off outside his favoured spot reckon we can work with that Cheers Iraklis

NO!!!!!

Thanks Iraklis mate. From the draws it looks like Leap To Fame and Arcee Phoenix races to lose? But don't worry bout OScar... he'll be sweet out there. The races are over 3150m so young Sanderson won't have to rush him at the start. We know Oscar is a staying horse and can see out the two miles, plenty in the field won't. Go Oscar!!!!

Lets help some of the regular hardworking daily toilers get their chance to get some recognition for the day in day out hard work they do most times for not that much money and for the love of the horse. Do you know a hardworking member of stable staff that deserves to have their work celebrated at racing’s biggest night? Calling all trainers - nominations are open for the New Zealand Stablehand of the Year Award Supported by Saddlery Warehouse Cambridge & Tauranga, show your appreciation for the stable star who deserves to be recognised at the New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Awards. Each regional winners receive $2500 in prize money, travel, accommodation and tickets to the awards night. The national winner will also take home an additional $2,500 in prize money. Nominate now https://form.jotform.com/251767693898886 Book your tickets nztr.co.nz/awards

Pinseeker also has to trial once. That will make it tricky for Cock if he intends starting the horse on Finals night? He will have to trial the horse during the week to get a clearance. After his gut buster run last night the horse must be tired and sore. It's good to see that the Australia stipes don't muck around old mate. Put on a rodeo act like that over there and there are consequences. Trial once. Here he would get a warning at best.

Or perhaps Ben pointed it out to them after reviewing his performance.

Just not sustainable RJR , I think they are throwing money at jumps to almost paper over how poorly they have managed it for the last 10+years , and look like they care . I honestly cannot see it lasting . Great win for CW and his owners after Trentham , but bloody hell my heart was all in for West Coast , what a brave horse .

The consultants are consulting with their consultants re the configuration of the consulting conference they will need. i.e. How much more money can we squeeze out of the idiots running N. Z. racing.

Such a dump. No doubt the avondale lovers will jump on to defend it

Just had a bit of a quick scan through and at first glance it looks full of corporate twists and turns (how great thou art, KPI ticked & bonus paid) Here's what success looks like according to NZTR - I'm wondering what the true benefits to a failing industry are?

Absolutely: A top effort and a wonderful spectacle too. In fact this meeting, with its larger fields and great racing reminds me a lot of jumping meet days past. Let's hope those in control can see there is certainly stakeholder support and a place for jumps racing in NZ. Not so sure there is much betting support though, a key measure in NZTR's TAB driven measurement criteria. The figures for this chase don't make good reading: Win: $12,246.87 Closed: Place: $6,232.84 Closed. It would be very interesting and informative to see the fixed odds figures.

Dont be sorry for feeling that way. The reality is that you are absolutely correct in your assessement of their intentions for the future. Some of these people are acting far above their station in life. Sneaky slimballs like those have no place in society let alone what was once a fine industry until they stuffed it up.

You and others have now worked out who runs NZ racing- Entain. What they say/want goes

After After reading it again, I am actually dumbfounded not a mention anywhere of consultation/discussion with racing clubs, big or small, breeders large or smaller hobby breeders who breed to race and sell, trainers, owners and these are the backbone of keeping this show on the road, punters also a huge component in the industry being successful, country folk like Farmers who used to always attend the local meeting and have a horse or two in work, city folk who attend race meetings not a single word anywhere. I am convinced all we will see is more selling up of assets, less tracks, more push for higher stakes at the top end to try to encourage horses from Oz to come over, maybe good for TAB turnovers but bad for local owners as even less chance to get a return on anything, sorry but I can see now why the other open letter was sent as they are getting ready to do some things that maybe many people are not going to like, and thats the poor old plebs who are the lifeblood of the industry that they targeted with the letter.Its like we are the bosses we will do as we want, end of story, or thats how it seems to me now. Sorry for feeling this way but when you put the two things together that is what it feels like.

I got it last night at $19.

Backed Grand Prospect at $18 this morning. Nice.

Agree Pure, not baggin Sanderson cos Oscar also did his lil dance with MarkP in the bike too so it's not like he don't have form just feel that it would be nice to see the ol team Oscar an his ol mate Mark in what I feel may be his last shot at glory.... Cheers Iraklis

Anthony has made the Trot Final already . Came up with trotter Harry Stamper from Victoria and ran a couple of 4ths, so won't be on OscarB. I'm not a huge Adam Sanderson fan or anything , but in fairness to the bloke you have to remember that OscarB was doing these can-can canter tricks on Blair Orange as well in some of his latest NZ starts. so it's not altogether Adam's fault. the horse is an old 'stallion'. Adam has been driving his Home team of trainer Shannon Prices with great Efficiency in the Pacers Interdominion division. so i'm cutting him (Sanderson) some slack now lol he is winning some with good driving. Adam Won 3 heats driving Sure Thing Captain, and Speak the Truth boldly to 3 Big wins the past 2 weeks, and will have to pick which one to drive in the Pacers Grand Final now too. Both those horses are very 'Sharp' horses. very even in ability so not an easy choice either. Maybe they can use one to run Leap To Fame off/up the track a wee bit? and then Win with the other one? !

I reckon the industry and the TAB should have made more of the fact you can win a modest but worthwhile amount for little outlay- It is quite common for $1EW bets to return between $10-20 on reasonably priced runners.Granted it wont make you rich but will buy a half decent lunch at a cafe and is not to be sneezed at. Similar payouts on Lotto/Instant Kiwi are next to an insult as the minimum outlay is much greater and in fact the payout on the lesser divisions of Lotto is frankly pitiful. The TAB missed the mark missed with self service terminals in pubs- they are not easy for anyone let alone older people who make a good percentage of todays customer base to use- I once recall an older Ukrainian [yes, they exist] chap in a mid city Auckland pub asking me to work the terminal and I didn't make much progress either. It seems incredible that pubs hosting these machines weren't given any training in their use to assist customers not familiar with them. Thankfully from my experience the TAB backed off from their plans to have them replace on course operators at minor race days.

After R1 he asked Vinnie Colgan what could be the ceiling for the winner Yokozuna. For heavens sake he was a 2yo having his first start. Nostradamus would have been hard pressed to know the answer.

Times have certainly changed. This is really the beginning of an attempted rebuild of the series, but it'll never be the same as what it once was. Too expensive for clubs to stage in the modern era, I'm suggesting. It's a shame though. Used to be a season highlight for me.

Look at afl in oz. Games at the mcg every week with up to 90 thou people. The love of the sport is where nz racing got it wrong and self interest took over

I wonder if having some midweek industry days rescheduled for twilight timeslots in spring and summer like the Xmas fixture at Matamata may have kept the likes of Paeroa Dargaville and Stratford afloat as dairy farmers could have enjoyed an evening out after the night milking and those with 9 to 5 jobs.

To make things clearer in the future there will be Lolly Pop Men placed strategically around the steeplechase course to give clear directions , along with all horses having a Nat Sav attached between it's ears .