Grego

Wish him well in his recovery...🤗

thanks guys, have made it home pretty sore & gonna be a long slow recovery. Which is going to be particularly frustrating for me & yes pops got one up on me now 😂🤦🏻‍♀️ But not really much I can do given my injuries so just gonna have to sit tight and pray they heal a lot faster than what I’ve been told so I can get back to driving ASAP

Just get the jab stop the shyte...then everyone can move on...you  are in the minority...Its your choice as I say just like its the 95% of kiwis who chose to do the right thing for everyone...If the rule says she needs a vax whether its right or wrong.... she needs a vax...end of story.I for one would like to try to skip the shyte from this thing as I am not as lucky as some to not have pre existing conditions...so go ahead dont get vaxxed but dont expect to be allowed to have the same freedom as someone who has done the right thing.Just my own personal opinion FWIW

Rules are rules like it or get out...seems very simple....as I say 95% of Kiwis do the right thing...

Haha I guess it takes all types to make the world go round...keep sticking to your conspiracy theories...or get vaxxed and live a relatively normal life its 100% your choice...I chose to have the things I like to do not taken away from me ...you can do as you wish.

So in our investigations when we were asked to provide a timing system for NZ  in 2016, we stated the following:
1. There are three types of timing protocols in NZ;
2.One consists of the steward of the racing club clicking a hand timing piece when they consider the gates have opened;
3. One consists of the timer being activated when the start button is pushed by the starter; and
4. One consists of when the actual gates hit a time switch when the gates have sprung open.
This inconsistency will always provide differential timing discrepancies if one wishes to record accurate certified timing of races, and sectional times.
In addition to the actual timing systems, there would seem to be inconsistences in the actual distance of the races when comparing these actual distances to the advertised distances. It would seem that of the three race courses that have surveyed using GPS system with a 200mm accuracy, inaccuracies to be + or -  16m. This does not allow an accurate timing solution to be achieved. We would advise that all race tracks be accurately surveyed to ensure that the actual start points and distances are properly certified.
Our solution  to this would be to survey and Lidar the tracks to put to bed once and for all the weird timing results that have been recorded. The Lidar will provide an accurate representation of the track topography.

Nobody but it would be nice to have someone with at least an interest in sports or racing..with some previous management in these areas...would you not agree.

Saw this on the Herald website, it's hard case watch featuring Zac Butcher drivin racenight bloody brilliant.....https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/racing-harness-drivers-hilarious-insight-into-raceday/CCK3OK6W2YM4HCD53XWRUDZ7GY/   
 
Cheers Iraklis

I met Rick at trentham sales a long time ago he was buying a horse to win the 2yo million dollar race at trentham on behalf of a guy who had just discovered,  the hills on farm was made of iron ore. Instant millionaire they bought a horse, and I took them to Wellington to party, we finished up at some posh hotel Rick had very expensive taste wine top shelf etc. The poor guy who was multi millionaire asked me is there any chance I could just get a normal NZ beer to try, i got him a pint of lion brown, is face lit up when he had a sip said the best drink he had had since arriving with Rick. But i didnt have the heart to tell him the breeding of the horse he bought would never win a 2yo race. We went to trentham races the following day, trentham made him a special guest and he dragged me along no expense spared. During the day I mentioned to him I think the press are saying you are bankrupt. His reply do I look bankrupt and we went on to part all night in Wellington what a character and hard case. R.I.P.

IMO, Premixer you are spot on. That's exactly how I saw it and was concerned just before it happened that the horse was subjected to some less than subtle control. But in slight mitigation there must be huge pressure on jockeys on hot favourites when they end up in very difficult situations.
I believe the Stipes decided everyone blameless in the face of an injured jockey and deceased horse. As an owner and with no particular target in mind, I also think the overall standard of riding in NZ is poor, and the sanctions for misdemeanours are totally inadequate.
 
P.S--Is Noel Harris still mentoring?

Been waiting to watch the replay as was watching live after a few beers so maybe I missed something, loveracing are seemingly not going to upload it due to obvious reasons.
To me, that looked like a terrible overly aggressive ride from a top rider?   Got blocked for the initial run on the bend, and then got caught in traffic on the home straight and decided best way out was to play dodgems to try make running room into gaps that didn't exist? 
As I say, would prefer to have a replay before voicing anything, but anyone else think the same on initial live viewing?    I do hope I'm out of line and incorrect.

Provided a proposition for the drones 4 years ago and no-one wanted to bite. Have a horse tracking system that not only tells you where the horse is to an accuracy of 200mm, but also everything about the stride pattern and frequency...latency only 0.45 seconds (that is the time of arrival of the positional signal after the real time event)....no one wanted to take it further although it was trialed....means you can virtualise racing and present it differently. Also automatically tells you the weight of a horse. Could put it on a horse as an ear tag if need be...
Laying horses is a tricky business because it promotes cheating in a major way....do we need more bad imagery for the do gooders to attack us on?
Totally agree to the RIU debacle...ridiculous position we are in
 

And what about wanker Hipkins when asked about punishment he should get he said something like he has had a good punishment from the public already...WTF he needs to be charged like the kid in Oz...throw the book at him how the f... he even got in is another thing..poor NZ families can not even get relatives in...its a joke...and to break the rules is an even bigger one...and the other BIG question is how did he get to Waiheke??? But I bet that never gets answered.

I'd just like to add, almost 90% of New Zealanders 12 and over are vaccinated. That kinda makes vaccinate the "normal" even of you don't agree. 

I think you'll find a normal New Zealander is vaccinated.

Not quite right, latest research from Oxford shows both main vaccines are very effective for 6 months at preventing transmission with waning after this period but still highly effective at preventing serious cases.
We only need to look to NSW for evidence of how effective they are at preventing transmission, NSW R# is estimated to be under 1.
The fact cases in Auckland havent grown exponentially suggest the high vaccine rate is reducing transmission.

That's not really the central issue although it is a very compelling argument. Stakes are pathetic in the UK but the breeding industry and sales are booming. The rest of the World is sourcing horses from there because they have a defined pattern of racing (good handicapping and staging), two rating systems that keep each other and the industry honest, and the best bloodstock in the World. A bloke like P4P may disagree because we always debate this, but sprinters aside, there is a valid argument that through franking the form and the UK pattern identifies a bench marked validation process that identifies the merits of most horses in the UK and Europe.
This means that the intrinsic value of any horse is established, especially after those horses have been competing so successfully in other jurisdictions like Australia and the US. Why do you think almost 60 yearlings were sold to US based clients in the recent sales? Why do you think the Book 1 sales averaged 230,000 guineas ($442,000) where 44 yearlings made over a $1m when the average racing stakes is much like ours but in UK currency? It's all about the prestige and the ability to place horses in a pecking order. The number of Aussie people buying yearlings was amazing.  
So if we injected 200 well credentialed European mares in NZ, what would the effect be on our racing/ breeding over the next 20 years? The standard of our racing? The prestige of those horses also going to Aussie to compete? 

Was it actually Marscapone? 🤔😆

Their actions could have closed down racing Australia wide.
Seems very severe but message sent
 

Stradivarius...one of the all time great stayers
 
https://www.racingtv.com/videos/watch/horse_racing_replays/346117-weatherbys-hamilton-lonsdale-cup-group-2-1
 
 
 

Not sure Shane
Maybe it’s something to do with the Police, they’ve have had an unhealthy interest in me for a while, apparently driven by disinformation given to them by a “James Hunt “ from within the racing industry…….
I’d guess they’re involved somehow given that they executed search warrants to access my IP address and all ( that’s ALL ), my historic on line activity….RaceCafe was a subject of interest to them I’m told……Scooby might like to comment on that 
I’m also told they found absolutely nothing ……although both raids on my house were productive for them….they found me cooking for the homeless both times 
It’s five years next month since Operation Inca started, five years, and they’ve still found nothing 

RIP Laurie.
NZs oldest teenager has just passed away.
Hall Of Fame Trainer
Hall Of Fame Bloke
Condolences to all the family

Champion trainer Laurie Laxon pictured in Singapore In 2008 Photo: Bruno Cannatelli Hall of Fame trainer Laurie Laxon passes away
NZ Racing Desk
16 July 2021 Hall of Fame trainer Laurie Laxon, whose list of achievements included a Melbourne Cup victory and multiple Singapore training premierships, has passed away.
Laxon had lived in retirement in the Coromandel seaside town of Whitianga since returning from Singapore in 2017, the year after his induction to the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame.  
He had ruled supreme in Singapore training ranks after relocating there in 1999, claiming nine premierships and becoming the first to win 100 races in a season, and the first (and still only) trainer to reach 1,000 wins at Kranji on the way to a full tally in excess of 1,250. 
Laxon was born into racing as a member of a family involved since New Zealand’s earliest European settlement years. Growing up north of Hamilton, as a teenager he became an amateur rider and in his final raceday ride he won the Duke of Gloucester Cup.
After completing a carpentry apprenticeship, he was drawn fully into racing when he established a stable near Ngaruawahia. From there he first made his mark with the 1974 Great Northern Hurdle winner Cobland, who he owned with his late wife Jenny, before establishing his credentials as the trainer of major flat performers.
A big part of that early success was the association Laxon built with the brothers Philip and Peter Vela, leading to their joint maiden Group One success with the Sir Tristram filly Noble Heights in the 1981 New Zealand 1000 Guineas.
Sir Tristram was also the source of the Laxon-trained, Vela-owned and bred Romanee Conti, winner of the 1993 Hong Kong International Cup, and dam of Ethereal, who was trained by Laxon’s second wife Sheila to win the 2001 Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.
Sir Tristram also sired the Vela-owned and bred Riverina Charm, a four-time Group One winner on either side of the Tasman under Laxon’s training, while for owner-breeder Fred Bodle Laxon prepared the giant Sir Tristram mare Empire Rose to win the 1988 Melbourne Cup.
“Laurie was an outstanding trainer and horseman who was particularly skilled with fillies and mares,” commented his close friend and near neighbour, New Zealand Bloodstock Chairman Joe Walls.
“His astute horsemanship was noted by a number of successful breeders, most notably Peter and Philip Vela, and they had some great times together.
“When Laurie went to Singapore he remained staunchly loyal to the New Zealand-bred and much of his success there was down to the horses he sourced from New Zealand,” added Walls, who confirmed that Laxon, who recently turned 75, passed away in his sleep overnight.
Another to pay tribute to Laxon was highly respected former trainer Bruce Marsh, who developed a close friendship as a fellow Kiwi expat in Singapore.
“Laurie was the instigator of me going up to Singapore,” said Marsh, who is now retired in Cambridge. “He was an immense help to every New Zealand and Australian expat who went up there – myself, Mark Walker, Cliffy Brown, Michael Freedman, all of us.
“He went out of his way to show us the ins and outs, and he was always there if you needed any help.
“Obviously Laurie was a top-notch trainer, he will always be remembered for his huge success back home, in Australia and up in Singapore.”
As a New Zealand licence holder for close to 50 years Laxon also played a significant role through his involvement with the NZ Trainers’ Association, serving as National President prior to heading to Singapore.
“A larger-than-life character Laurie made his mark on the racing industry as recognised by his admission into the Racing Hall of Fame,” NZTR CEO Bernard Saundry said.  “NZTR’s Board and management acknowledge his immense contribution to the industry over the years and extend our thoughts to his family, as we mark the passing of a New Zealand racing legend.”
Laxon is survived by his sons Craig, Roger and John, and daughter Lucy.

The world is fucked when no one can have a sense of humour any more. Certainly didn't upset me.
 

I don't know about you mob but Melody Belle has been an amasing mare. She's done everything asked of her, may not be as good as everyone in NZ thinks but she's been a truly good racehorse for years. She's retiring but started in the Hollindale as her swansong race. But seriously pissed me off when I found that her feet has been bogged up for the race and trainer said she was vulnerable because he was having problems with her feet.
Fortunna, take a smack you greedy buggers. You are what is wrong with the industry, if you think it's smart, caring, intelligent and honorable, to try and squeeze one more pay check out of your mare. 
I don't care what people think about what I am saying as I don't normally critisize the check payers in the industry but this is wrong. You should be saying what can I do for my horse instead of what can my horse do for me. Take the smack.