GOM

Yep hope you got my reply

At the end of the day if you are willing to back the blues you need your arse kicked, especially against the Chiefs. in fact what you shouls be doing is listening to Shad.

Good one Lyndsay,, Iremember her well and I think you may have been involved with another good hurdler as well. That newspaper cutting is amazing as it lists some very good dogs and well bred dogs Tip Top could be found in a lot of good dogs Blue Pacific was one of a litter that is hailed as probably the best litter ever whelped in UK. he ran away from his owner on the moors somewhere and was lost. The rest of the litter went on to not only win all the major races on offer but at stud became foundations of the breed. When someone found Blue Pacific unaware of his famous family they kept him as a pet and when they emigrated to NZ they brought him with them . He ended up siring a few litters in NZ and most of them could run. The first dog we ever raced was by Blue Pacific and was probably the only dog we have had that may have been a freak. We were new to the sport and we had her living inside with us , she slept on whosever bed was available and ate mostly what we ate. I listened to older heads with time in the sport who were so amazed at her speed at trials said if she was mine I would be racing her right away. As a result we registered her at 12 months and win she did. By age 13 months she held the track record at Rotorua over 540m. Still at 13 months we put her in a restricted age feature over 578? at Mt Smart which had attracted a strong field. She had never on the track before, missed the jump and quickly got into gear and started making her way through the field she was chopped out of it at the end of the back straight and battled away for fifth. I learned so much from that bitch but it was at her cost. My biggest regret in 40 odd years of training. I see on the list of hurdlers there Is a letter or two after each dog which looks as though it is the area they were trained in. HB would be Hawkes Bay and it is it's a long time since there was a trainer there. I also notice your bitch was out of Emerald Lass, she left some very good dogs that raced on the flat.I think Mrs French and her daughter from CD may have been involved with either breeding form her or racing some of her good progeny .

Whose hem was Leo at?

Good on them Confused. Long time since I saw any initiative in the dog code . It certainly looks pretty barren on most dog tracks on most meetings. It almost appears to me that most of the time everyone is quite happy with the status quo. They all just turn up twice a week and do their thing and don't give a hoot if thee public are not catered for or if there are actually any there. I remember at Cambridge one day a small group arrived on course and were standing wondering where to go next. I said hello and asked if they were right and they said they were greyhound owners from Australia on holiday and thought they would come to the races for the day. They were looking to buy a racebook and get a drink of something. They had seen a large grandstand there and thought that is where the action would be but it was completely deserted. Mind you it has changed a bit since then there is a sandwich and sausage roll shop now open as you walk through the gate that you can't miss. It is almost like they accept that no one is going to turn up so why bother. Chicken and the egg scenario.

Yep it didn't surprise me that the head office was sitting on your idea for years, but I wonder at the overseas interest at all . The only interest in them seem to be from the Aussies who wish to see how a large portion of their dogs are doing. Mind you we will only create interest outside NZ by providing info to the rest of the greyhound world which is what you were trying to help

If it is correct Doric it will be no big surprise yet absolutely disgraceful

Hard case. I see on G data the Aussies are asking why data from NZ is not included because they want to follow their favourite dogs that are now all racing in NZ. Who would have thought?

I can never get my head around the whip doesn't hurt them argument If it doesn't hurt them then why hit them? People are much more aware of the whipping these days, they notice a horse being flogged. In my early day's the like's of Bill Skelton were praised for their ability with the whip in a close finish. Watching international racing it becomes obvious the best jockey's seem to use the whip the least. Whips will be banned sooner or later that is certain NZ may as well get some kudo's for being proactive rather than being forced into it.

I think you are right HD if you are trying to reinvent racing as fun for the general population then we should be working from the bottom up, the newby's might only start with the odd small bet but if it is fun they are hooked and all of a sudden you have the crowds coming back and it all grows from there. I remember my introduction I was earning four pounds weekly and an old geezer I worked with was perusing his best bets and showed me the fields of a cd meeting and the double he was going to take. He suggested I have a go and I picked one in each leg. He was betting in pounds but I gave him 10 bob for my double. Unfortunately it won and paid $57. I am still going today with hugely reduced strike rate

It's a pleasure to watch the close finishes where the winner is pushed ahead hands and heels and get's the better of the one under the flogging, have seen a few of those lately

What an exciting race and great win. I would not put it in the same league as Dyna Vickers AK cup effort though as Vickers was in a G1 final and his effort was extraordinary. I think Dave's win was more a credit to his intelligence than guts. The field sort of packed up at a crucial time in that race and Dave made the most of that. Very good effort by a very good dog though. See what happens in the final. If he is able to put up a similar performance in the final I will rethink it but it will have be bloody good to head off Vickers effort in that cup final.

No but I will have a look

Sorry my stuff up there it was a hurdle race not sprint that Tiz too won

You are probably right about Tiz Too. I saw him one night at the old Auckland track win a sprint race by the length of the straight and went faster time over fences than the class two winner of the following race on the flat. He didn't like me though, Ivor asked me to manipulate him one day and from then if he heard my voice even from say 100m away he would start growling. Needless to say I never manipulated him again, in fact I doubt anyone did. Strange thing about Tiz Too is although he obviously had a ton on pace he was never able to win a maiden on the flat. I saw him after he ran that slashing time at Auckland have a go in a weak maiden race on the flat. Very poor effort for fourth if I remember rightly. He jus wouldn't try unless there were hurdles. Bred and reared by Peter McKerrow a trainer I had huge respect for

Correction; Someone pointed out she only won 85 races which is correct, I must add that she won her only two starts over distance and ended up with stake earnings of over $370 k which makes her record even more outstanding. Little mother , LEGEND.

Just to add to the above , I was wondering if the case will be looking at live kill only. I don't think It is illegal in NZ to throw a dead rabbit to a cattle dog, it is against the rules of Greyhound racing only and that is fair. enough. If that is the case a court of law cannot consider the GRNZ law that will be up to the RIU later. Presuming that the court case is considering live kill only then the photographed evidence is weak it would take a valid witness's evidence to get a conviction . Most on this thread have already presumed the outcome and are considering the aftermath, Dumb stuff

Coming to the end of our involvement with the greyhounds I think back to the dogs that really stood out for me during our time participating. The first dog meeting I went to was at Solway park in 1979 and Atua Lad won the hurdle race by about 50 lengths, I will never forget my amazement at how dominant he was. Shorty Bigou was my next favourite with his courage and domination of South Island staying races. I have a bias towards the stayers so all of John Goodes Aqua family really impressed me not only for winning the Silver Collar on more than one occasion but also being able to win the group1 Waterloo cup one of the premiere middle distance in the country. Swift Fantasy thrilled not only NZ but gained international fame with her winning from positions she should not have been able win from . Thrilling Brat was a thrilling dog over any distance and like Swift Fantasy had the ability to win from impossible positions he stamped himself as being one of the best with his huge efforts in Australia. Dyna Vickers Auckland cup win was probably the gutsiest win I have seen from a dog and he was nigh unbeatable for a while. Cecilia Lloyd was probably the most tradesman like dog I have seen , huge ability and no matter where he ended up in the running he found a way, his tradesman like ability to get himself in a winning position meant he didn't have to use those other skill very often. Thrilling Sam not only had pace and brains but was also very strong to the line , the complete dog. Tivoli Tom was an amazing dog. I couldn't believe him having his first start as amaiden in the heats of the NZ derby (couldn't happen today) which he not only won but also won the final. He went on to be almost unbeatable over the staying distance for a couple of season's. I often think that God only knows how good our own dog Spadeworthy would have been with an ounce of luck and a decent trainer even though he won several group ones How ever Little Mother is my choice for best dog, she won 14 in a row in the best company, some group races, on all major tracks in NZ which was the NZ record at the time, she then ran second then won her next two starts both group ones. She amassed a huge tally of wins (not sure but I think 86) and raced on and on. I think she qualifies as not only the best dog to race in NZ but easily the best. What do you think , I have obviously not mentioned some champions like Misty Anna (miss Deanna ) , Miss Cutie, American Warrior etc that have claims to the title but it is just my opinion

I think this thread is a waste of time, All sorts of speculation when the outcome of the case has yet to be decided. There have been a lot of judgements passed on people with no good reason. Saying shame on Hayley is uncalled for and unfair ,she is a very good trainer and the old adage of don't judge someone unless you have walked a mile in their moccasins should be heeded

Big shift for Hayley and I wish her all the best

I f you were trying to select a person that would ensure this incident would never happen again then Trev would be the safest bet

They may be free ( not all are ) Hok but try and build a kennel block there and see how you get on

" We are currently running the magazine at a loss" No shit Sherlock, I thought the magazine was a vital service that all members need not a profit making venture.. It's not quite North and South stuff now is it. There is a captive audience who have no option but to get it. I wonder if the non profit started when some bright spark decided to go a glossy A4 that is all hat and no cattle.

Well done Redrum, Great price as well, thought once you labeled it the price would fall, glad it didn't

Agree Gruff, but also agree with the evenness of the field . Worth a go