Grit123

Sorry KDT I agree with you totally. point I was trying to make was the direct line this bloke has to racing’s dirtiest secrets. There is probably much more to this story and quite amazing there have been no follow-ups?

Van Beynen has keys to everything Government cash for race track upgrade ends up in wrong bank account Martin Van Beynen18:15, Jun 18 2021 WARWICK SMITH/STUFF Awapuni Racecourse has received government funding for new synthetic turf. Police are investigating after more than $600,000 of government money meant for a new racetrack in Palmerston North ended up in the wrong bank account. In 2020, Race Inc, the umbrella grouping of the Manawatū, Marton, Feilding, Rangitīkei, Ōtaki and Wellington racing clubs, received a $10.5m provincial development grant for a synthetic racing track at Awapuni racecourse. Work on the new track is due to start in October and finish in 2022. In recent months, one of the first instalments paid by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s provincial development unit, Kānoa, went astray, with about $600,000 landing in a bank account not connected with Race Inc. Play Video 1m 28s Rehoming programme for retired race horses Stable to Stirrup is an organisation working to rehome retired race horses in Canterbury. (First published May 7, 2021) READ MORE: * We were blindsided: racing clubs react to proposed industry overhaul * Palmerston North cements its claim as one of the key racing centres in New Zealand * New Zealanders lose millions to scams. Here's how to avoid being duped Police began an investigation called Operation Javelin to get the money back. ADVERTISEMENT Advertise with Stuff MBIE confirmed on Friday a third-party recipient of funding had “potentially been the subject of attempted fraud”. “The matter has been referred to police. As this is an ongoing police investigation, we can’t provide further comment,” a spokeswoman said. The chair of the Race Inc board, Paul Humphries, said the missing money would not affect the new development. He was unclear about the status of the police investigation, but confirmed the money had been paid to the wrong bank account. Police confirmed they were aware of the matter and investigating.

Just watched TV One news and not one bit surprised by coverage of this story. Yesterday after overlooking completely racing story of the year, tonight they focus on the Cullens taking over the lease of the Rolleston training establishment. No disrespect to these young achievers but that story is for a later date. The STORY is Purdon and Rasmussen pulling the pin on an unmatched training conglomerate in NZ. Imagine Bart, Tommy Smith or Chris Waller pulling the pin at the height of their careers! Imagine Steve Hansen calling it quits a week after a World Cup win, Edmund Hillary saying he wouldn’t be climbing mountains for a while after conquering Everest, or Scott McLaughlin and Scott Dixon claiming they were burnt out and wouldn’t be racing for the forseeable future. How would our television media have treated those scenarios. For me there are two takes on One’s coverage (a) harness racing just does not resonate anymore with NZers or (b) One’s sports editor is out of touch with what makes news

Wow what memories come back with this horse! Spanked our best 3yos in the 1989 John Brandon Derby series. And they weren’t a bad lot - Inky Lord and Neroship went on to win NZ Cups. Westburn Grant raced against arguabably one of the greatest free for all eras in harness racing. When he won his Interdom Grand Final the likes of Blossom Lady, Master Musician, Christopher and Mark Hanover couldn’t get within cooee. A true champ and champion people associated with him.

‘“But it proposes to freeze the qualifying criteria temporarily to hopefully retain as many elite punters as possible.” Barry, I don’t know if this was a quote from a Rita press release or your summation of something relayed to you but, excuse my ignorance, what on earth does this mean

Oops meant Canterbury Jockey Club - sorry

Both Guineas races (1000 fillies and 2000 colts) gone from Canterbury Jockey Club NZ Cup carnival. Transferred to North Island. Dont know if permanent (but it will be). Great way to fuck NZ’s (thoroughbred, trotting and greyhounds) only truly successful racing carnival. As if earthquakes, shootings and Covid 19 hasn’t already been enough for Christchurch!

There are a multitude of reasons why they are so good. Probably the main ingredient for their strike rate is the fact they don’t tolerate mediocrity. The battling racehorse doesn’t even get to their barn - it’s culled by those doing the breaking in. Included in this list will be high priced yearling purchases. Next Purdon has always been innovative in his approach to training and horsemanship. There has to be a direct correlation to an increased strike rate and his move to Rolleston and a straight training track. Thirdly imagine the possibilities presented when you have half a dozen cup class horses to work together. None of the other good trainers are spoilt like that. Surely AS can get a degree more fitness into their charges. On that note it is interesting Ray Green has the best 3yo in the country and has another that is not that far behind. It must condition horses better. Of course having many horses in one race just leads to the result they will win. And they do but many times they run second and third also and then of course the nutcracker is when they have the sole horse they still win - generally. Their domination, I think, is bad for the industry, but it is idiotic to somehow punish them for their astonishing results. The pair strive for excellence in their profession and everyone should applaud that. Jealousy is a human nature that at times can be bitter. Bigger the person who can put that aside.

Consider this.... Probably in most of our lifetimes of those reading this, you are never going to see better horse trainers (harness or galloping) than Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen. Once again they swept the floor at Alexandra Park last weekend capturing both ID Grand Finals along with five other races. Never in history have we seen a juggernaut like this pair. It is not the fact that they have totally dominated the sport for the past 6 1/2 years in all facets, but it is their strike rate which is truly astonishing. Dwell on this and marvel. The measure of trainers and drivers strike rate is measured by the UDR (Universal Driver Rating System). It was devised by a couple of American standardbred enthusiasts in the 1950s and the mathematical assessment is based on that used to gauge the merits of batters in Major League Baseball. If you bat over .3000 you are considered to be in that sport’s elite. Heard of Ty Cobb, Shoeless Joe Jackson,Ed Delahunty and Rogers Hornsby? Well they are immortals of baseball and are 4 of only 20 people who have ever recorded a batting average of over .4000 in a single season. The feat was last achieved in 1941 and is widely considered impossible in the modern game for various reasons. Now ponder this! When the dust had settled at AP on Saturday night, Purdon/Rasmussen walked away with their UDR sitting at .4437. That in itself is incredible but for every season since they joined forces in the 2013/14 term they have bettered the .4000 mark - their best being a mind blowing .5063 in their third season together. When Purdon trained with Grant Payne for five seasons, three times they bettered .4000, while in 13 years prior when he trained by himself, Purdon notched another .4000 in 2001/2002. Only once in those early formative years did his strike rate dip below .3000. Some trainers have bettered .4000 but it has been with small numbers of starters. All Stars have over 300 starters every season. All Stars have the luxurious position of quitting horses at an early stage if they feel that horse won’t be shining any beacon. But to be fair to Mark and Natalie they have got to that status by stepping up to the plate and hitting the ball out of the park.

Jack it’s amazing how once good families still have the ability for one to pop out of the box even after that family has been bastardised by poor stallion choices over several generations. There have been any number of examples of that. Great racehorse sires have the ability to leave even better racehorses than themselves, however broodmares generally don’t do that because obviously they only have one progeny each year if that. youd go back a long way to name a champion race mare that has left one better

I have always thought you were a 12yo - now confirmed. if you know little about breeding, stop digging yourself into a gigantic hole - or take some advice from your elders

Iraklis you said ‘’what price the yearling ... the mind boggles.’’ it might in your little brain but the fact of the matter is Shartin has little going for her in her immediate pedigree. Tintern In America has failed down under. Shartin’s second damsire Live Or Die was hugely successful but hardly a champion sire while Save Fuel (third dam sire was another flop) you quote Noodlum - champion young horse but didn’t make it in the siring barn. As I said you have to go back to the 70s to get the stars of this family. you exuberance is noted but keep it in perspective please. There’s a good saying time is only important when your in jail. Don’t get me wrong - Shartin might be the best older pacer in North America but speculation for her progeny will be based on a lot more than that

Iraklis you claim what price resulting foal from a Lazarus Shartin coupling. I’d say the interest would be lukewarm. To use Tettrick’s own words - she’s a freak. Shartin is by a sire who’s battling to stay commercial and is the only winner from her mother in about 5 or so foals. Lazarus was a down under champion who is unproven as a sire. Don’t know Shartin’s complete history (whether she was bought Stateside and stopped off for some Australian racing) but she managed to win half her 13 starts in Oz. She won the Queensland Oaks and only just went down to a Mark Purdon colt in the Queensland Derby. Her immediate family is pretty average but when you get back four generations up pop such stars as Locarno, Agrinion and Ostrava - I’m starting to get old when I can clearly remember those racing

Happen to be overseas at present but keen to watch some upcoming races. Tried to watch via TAB bet and watch but it detects I'm not in NZ. Anyone know anyway around it?