Esperanza

NZ Herald this morning - page B23 - the country's first "ghost meeting" perhaps? OMG or LOL - not sure which!

23 6 4 Cheers.

Lexus - "Older Than Time" MacKinnon - "Midas Touch" (wins on Tuesday, too) Derby - "Induna"

If my calculation is correct, this is just short of five months after the race was run. Five months!! Worse still is Fly Like An Eagle from the Young Guns Heat on 18 February - when is this going to be dealt with? The horse is still the winner according to HRNZ's website and the season is drawing to a close!! We've got to do better than this, surely.

How many "positives" does the industry now have awaiting a hearing? Why? If this is a matter of RIU capacity, why haven't they instructed a "Special Prosecutor" to do so on their behalf? This is not a good look for Harness Racing. Worse still, I can envisage connections shortly lodging informations with the JCA seeking rulings that they are now so prejudiced in their respective defences by the delays that have occurred that the RIU should be permanently restrained from ever seeking to proceed further.

I backed Lisharry to win this race so, yes, I had an interest in the outcome. However, having read the JCA decision on the information lodged following the race alleging that Maurice McKendry drove the winner Pay Me Bro carelessly when crossing over and into the lead with 1600 metres to run when insuficiently clear causing interference to Lisharry (driven by Kelly Blakemore), I have to ask "Just how often do senior drivers tell junior drivers what to do during the course of races?" Blakemore told the hearing that she had been instructed (presumably by her employer) before the race to go to the front. This she did (and I quote from the decision) "but when Mr McKendry was alonside her he told her that he would give the lead back so she restrained her horse." For good measure, I quote from the JCA "Reasons for Decision: "Ms Blakemore tells us that her instructions were to stay in front if possible but that after discussion with Mr McKendry she conceded the front on the basis that she was going to be able to go around Mr McKendry and take the front again. Her horse naturally did not respond too kindly to being restrained and it may well have put in a rough step or two and then broken." Astounding! Equally astonishing is why, given that the Stipes (RIU) obviously felt strongly that McKendry had driven carelessly causing Blakemore's horse to break with a mile to go AND Blakemore's horse had then run on strongly from the tail of the field on straightening to finish second, the Stipes (RIU) didn't throw in a protest in addition to charging McKendry? This whole matter does not sit well with me.

With less than half an hour to go before AB leaves the building, I find I'm minded of simpler times when we would gather at Princess Wharf to farewell loved ones aboard the steamer bound for England. Indeed, I've actually broken into song: "Now is the hour when we must say good bye, soon you'll be sailing far across the sea ..."

The people of Christchurch are just amazing. I've been here since the morning after the quake and haven't heard anybody complaining or moaning about their situation - even those queuing for 40 minutes plus for fuel or only able to buy limited amounts of milk, bread or water. Those with power, water and sewage have simply made room in their homes for others less fortunate. Next door has campers all over their section and a lady down the road had 32 for dinner last night! The Army are a godsend, particularly being located so close to town, while Orion have worked miracles to get power back on to so many so quickly.

This penalty brings Harnes Racing into even further disrepute. It is completely inconsistent with penalties imposed for the same offence and with penalties imposed for offences of substantially greater significance. Worst of all, it smacks yet again of the lesser lights in Harness Racing being "whacked" by officialdom, while the bigger guns seem to carry immunity. No "small" wonder that so many have lost faith in the Harness code.

Responsibility for this rests solely with NZ Racing Board management. The Herald has instructions from NZRB management to print the files that NZRB sends to them! Taranaki is the Premier meeting tomorrow - their "day in the sun" - and should have the 2 page spread accordingly. Ellerslie is a fortnight out from their $4m Cup Week and has two Group 2 events carded - they too should have coverage superior to that afforded a mid-week Austalian go-round. Let's be very clear - NZRB management are charged with driving its (our) business forward - growing turnover. How is this achieved by requiring national print media to place primary focus on a meeting that has historically not performed to the levels achieved by the meetings conducted by each of its North Island cousins (three year average turnover per race this day: Taranaki $220,000; Ellerslie $217,420; Southland $135,460)? It's time to get real!

Surely the brief was to generate additional turnover. Therefore I would have thought one best did that by providing more information and not less!! Once again the gun has been aimed squarely at the foot.