Pam Robson

I'm not at liberty to peruse some of the magnificent training establishments in various jurisdictions...however, from my humble stance, facilities and staff are two pragmatic reasons why the lads are deprived of their tackle. I recall Dave Kerr [ and that was years ago ] based at Riccarton in club stabling, telling me that the property was just not suitable for colts. I'm pretty sure that Clansman was entire, but he was a rarity for Dave. He liked them, but felt that the design of the facility made it very hard to keep colts settled and contented. I went to Rogie's property many y

Just a suggestion - put your horse in the 65. Has been done plenty of times, with some success. Not that 1800 constitutes a 'staying' race...but still...have a go and see if you get a start. Send NZTR a map while you are at it.

You're quite right on both counts.

Good 3....?

No jumping at Wingatui at all, now.

sorry, too late to edit the stupid typo.

Yeah. And just to endorse shove comments, Southland used to end racing after the Riverton Easter meeting. Dunedin's Queen's Birthday meeting ( 3 days from memory) finished that Club's involvement. Rex Cochrane would move his racing team to Waimate as racing moved up the island heading towards the National meeting. The management knew, in those days, how cold and wet and difficult it was to conduct racing at that time of the year. Now we have random days all over the place, no strategic plans and little to structure race preparations on.

I have a sneaking feeling that any - if any - stakes increase will go to the middle / upper end. Which, if I am right, shows how utterly out of touch this mob are.

Thanks, she deserved it after several very genuine efforts.

Indeed.

I think that comparisons are, inevitably, subjective; and given the impossibility of running them all in competition together, futile. Opposition, training methods, track conditions, all play a part in a horse's record. So, while I couldn't - and wouldn't - presume to 'rate' any of them, surely La Mer has to be in the mix?

Interesting indeed. Tote aside, will this mean that the new racing operation will stand alongside HK racing as a separate but complementary entity - or will it be an assimilation into a overarching 'Chinese' model, I wonder?

Wingatui a week ago, Timaru Sunday, Riverton yesterday, Riccarton tomorrow, Ashburton four days after that. Plenty of opportunities just at present. Any horse with some pretensions to good form would be targeting better money at Riccarton, surely? not the sluggers that sloshed around yesterday. And as well, there must have been quite a few denied runs with the decision to make the 74 middle distance race an amateur.

Thanks.

Cut out half way through? Did I miss anything specific from there?

Also, we don't have well defined 'country' versus 'city' training areas. Matamata and Cambridge have a distinctly rural flavour...but together, house most of the horses in training. Auckland city certainly doesn't. How do you define that here? Are Christchurch trainers only those Riccarton based? How do you categorise one of the biggest teams e.g. the Parsons'...based at the beach? Timaru is a fair sized place, hardly 'country' , but for this purpose, possibly? as well, by the time these venues are closed down there won't be many left to call 'country'.

Australia [ Qld ] I think.

I see nothing at Wingatui either, I thought they were down to host jumping as well ? might have got that wrong....but Timaru still has jumps races on offer. So far.....

Got cross-eyed reading all the twaddle...which basically said that soil samples showed even distribution all through the profile and the experts felt the track was presented in good order. Clearly they were wrong. So what has changed? Those experts have ( I think) been changed, but the next lot seen to be singing from the same score.

Given the way he has been given the middle finger I bet he wished he had kept everything withheld from the report.

Any thoughts as to the reason for the Irish dominance over the Carnivals? I'm sure there must be one, I don't think the good English trainers have suddenly become incompetent or lost all their good horses overnight.

Add the trial winners and those showing up in their early races, to those sold from sales, and the quality is well and truly plundered, don't you think?

I was advised of the Norwegian site a while ago, it is amazingly accurate.