RaceCafe..#1...Tipsters Thread.... Share Your Fancies For Fun...Lets See Who The Best Tipsters Here Are.

MalcolmH

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Everything posted by MalcolmH

  1. Given the lousy weather down south for the last three days horses and spectators will all need flippers and snorkels on Sunday!! It has been raining steadily all night with flooding in Invercargill and surrounds so would imagine Riverton to be faring no better.Good luck!!
  2. Just an opinion but I don't think the Jewels should have been shifted. Having them in the real "Heartland" of the industry gives them a passion whereas holding them at the major tracks just makes them another industry meeting. I think the concept is good and perhaps the timing of them could be changed to cater for better crowds , weather etc however I think the real killer now is the predictability of the results same old same old. Looking at this years (unless the Aust invites are any good) the only really open race is the 4 yr old trotters and there are some very good horses in that.
  3. Whilst it is good that the discussion is to take place it will amount to nothing. The first thing that does need to happen is that Mick Guerin needs to disqualify himself from the segment as he is well known to be biased towards a certain stable. The second thing that needs to be done is to get a Vet who is not associated with the industry (or participants) to give facts either for or against. Integrity needs to be shown by all involved in this segment or it will amount to nothing but a charade. Too many big players are involved in ACS and they won't want to see it stopped. IMHO I believe it should be stopped until the facts have been proven as to the welfare of the horse and the legality of it are proven. The sport at the top level is haemoraging which is affecting those at the grass roots who love the industry but don't have the money to compete on the same level. It is also affecting the perception of the sport by the bread and butter people - the punters. Welfare of the horse followed by integrity of the sport have be at the forefront of any discussion.
  4. You are right Fartoomuch, it seems that the ones not getting the drives as much esp amatures and juniors get really hammered whilst the professionals seem to get off with very average fines. Perhaps if after being caught say 3 times they lose the right to use a whip for perhaps a period of time (that is after their suspension is finished!!)
  5. No sympathy for him if repetitive behaviour but I can think of others who are just as bad if not worse and they get a slap on the hand with a wet bus ticket. If you are going to come down hard be the same with EVERYONE no exceptions!!
  6. Dark Horse had an injury which meant she had to have an enforced lay off. She is now back jogging with Nathan Williamson so all going well she will come back stronger and better!!
  7. Totally agree with you JJ Flash! A couple of months ago I took 2 young friends to my local meeting to watch my horse race as a treat for them. We weren't allowed to actually go near the horse as they hadn't done the required course to enter the stabling area (thankfully the trainer brought him over to the barrier so the boys could pat him) The facilities were dirty and run down and the majority of signage was to let you know that you were in an area of great hazards! The food offering was minimal and over priced and there was absolutely nothing to entice you to want to go back although in saying that the racing was good as was the quality of the horses.Young people get bored very quickly and they need stimulation sadly not a lot of this was on offer. Like it or not the younger crowd are the ones we have to look to to keep the sport going wether it be by betting or ownership. It doesn't have to centre around drinking but we do have to make it enticing - family days,competition both on and off the track like the brothers in arm series that Oamaru run or the inter provincial series that Invercargill run. Involve some celebrities or local stars (god know most of them would turn up at the opening of a paper bag if their was publicity involved) but most of all make in interesting.
  8. To be honest (at least in my opinion) I think the best meeting down here is the Northern Southland Nuggets meeting in March - good stakes and good horses and the club really know how to look after both owners and punters. Invercargill cup day is now no better than any other race day down here.
  9. Mick may have a lot of knowledge but he has always been a name dropper.This is only marginally worse than his consistent sucking up to a certain stable which sadly another commentator is also guilty of! Mick and co there are other trainers out there give them the same amount of coverage..
  10. There are natural flaws in this . The executive should be chosen by common vote by all members of the Harness Industry not just one section. This may be time consuming but it would appease most of the participants. If it is not done like this it will just become another "old boys" club whereby those with the money and the backing will get to dictate to everyone else. As for the clubs selecting the executive this is a joke. Yes the clubs should have an input but no bigger than anyone else. For this industry to survive it needs new blood and new direction and sadly you won't get this if you don't listen to the rank and file. For to long it has been all about those at the top with their snouts in the trough taking but giving sweet beggar all back. Time to think of everyone not just a select few!!
  11. Wairio Trotting Club who race at Winton have a meeting totally devoted to mile racing and it is very popular. From my point of view I would prefer to see a mix of distances rather than just a mile otherwise things get predictable and boring after a while.
  12. Gore has never been a good hunting ground for me or any of our syndicate horses and with few workouts down here at the moment there is no real exposed form apart from Forbory Park however I have heard nice things about The Croupier in Race 2 and Chilli Franco in Race 8 is pretty smart on his day.
  13. I wouldn't say it has been dreadfully boring racing at present. The fields have stacked up reasonably well for the time of the year, there have been a few good horses coming through,some good divvies and best of all competitive racing without any domination of any one stable. It might lack the star power of the bigger carnivals but it gives the battlers of the industry their day in the sun (so to speak). As for Lazarus who really cares - he is no longer owned here and I for one would sooner concentrate on what we have racing here after all there are plenty of other good kiwi horses exported to the USA that we very rarely hear about.
  14. Why not, when appointing boards, do they not include a better representation of actual industry participants. For example the board of HRNZ should include an owners rep, a trainers rep,a drivers rep and also a junior drivers rep and an amateur drivers rep. It is ridiculous that decisions are not made in consultation with these type of people after all they ARE the industry. Interesting to note that HRNZ have appointed a new Operations Manager and guess what she has no experience in Harness racing although she says that she has experience in equestrian. That is sure to do Harness racing a lot of good isn't it!! As a smaller owner I feel somewhat betrayed by the powers to be who are doing nothing to address the dissatisfaction within our great sport. At Northern Southland we see two group races with $25,000 stakes and seven runners mainly for the benefit of stables that see Southland as easy pickings in fact I have heard that one stable nominated another one of their runners solely to get the race off the ground! Take $5000 off each race and you could cater for a lower class race to give the battler a chance instead of pandering to the high fliers..
  15. I agree it is hard for a young person starting out especially for those that do not have the right connections however a fair bit has to do with attitude. A few young people seem to feel they have a right to succeed without doing any of the hard work. Recently I spoke to a young driver who lamented the fact that he was not getting the drives. I asked him if he was going to trials or workouts to get catch drives and he replied that that was why he had an agent and it was his job to do that for him!! Where was the desire or killer instinct to make yourself known? Surely it is the agents job to advise the young drivers and guide them on how to interact with the participants in the industry than may be able to help them. It is called communication!!
  16. Let's not forget that Allstars are essentially a business. They train for big spending owners who expect big bucks for the big bucks they spend.It would be fairer for the industry if the big owners spread some of their horses around other trainers but apart from the odd one that doesn't happen.They aren't interested in the Central Otago or West Coast circuits unless there are big stakes on offer so apart from the big stakes meetings are they really doing anything for the industry. I don't think so!! Go to those meetings and see the passion and dedication of the grass roots people. The crowds go there and the mood is relaxed and friendly. There is a touch of arrogance about AllStars and their big owners. When they decide to plunder the big races down south for example (thus depriving smaller owners the chance to win in their own area)they don't even bother to show up for the presentations. Most owners in their life time would love to win one big race and when they do they they relive it for many years after - could the same be said about the AllStars owners after all it is just a business for them!!
  17. I can't help thinking that it must be time for the Minister of Racing to order a Commission into New Zealand Racing as a whole. not just one code but all codes. There is just so much going on and wrong over all codes that some-one has to have the balls and order a complete and major investigation and overhaul. All industry participants are hurting except those in corporate offices who get paid regardless! As an owner I wonder where it is all heading and to be honest it makes me think why do I bother so come on Winnie you like the lime light time so to front up for the good of an industry and a country.
  18. I know I don't always with you Brodie but I agree with you in this instance. I went to my local meeting at Winton yesterday and the spoils were shared around in fact we even let the Cantabrians have a couple of wins!! The point I am making that everyone shared in the success from small time owners to bigger owners to syndicates. There was competitive racing and competitive betting and the crowd were happy. With this kind of "grass roots" racing every-one actually feels they have a chance unlike the inevitability of the big race meetings where you know you are prob only racing for a place at best.
  19. Seriously gallops in NZ are a huge joke and embarrassment. First day of a New Year and you guys still can't get it right. Must be a great look internationally!! Time to go to the other code and join us Gypsies - at least our meetings can go ahead regardless of the weather.
  20. The other day I saw race at an Aust meeting called Yoshiko and for some reason remember my Grandmother backing a horse of the same name here many many years ago.Other horses I remember her having a lot of luck with were Apa and Tatua. Any one know anything about these horses at all?
  21. To me it seems as though they are just spending club money pandering to a group of people who will most likely not grace a racetrack until the next Xmas at the races. Bugger the regulars.As for food and drink at the Invercargill meeting it is well overpriced and very sub standard due to the ILT having sole rights for drinks and catering therefore they can charge what they like which they do!!
  22. What ever happened to common sense. Yes the trainer was in the wrong but do these kids have no common sense or are the parents to stupid to say what they were doing was wrong and share the blame. Once again someone else has to pay for some idiots stupidity.
  23. I am lucky enough to be in the same syndicate as enteebee so also have an interest in 2 horses racing in the jewels. To say I am proud is an understatement - it is a dream something that I never envisaged happening to a little person like me. What makes it so special is that I am sharing this moment with so many great syndicate members who have been introduced to this wonderful sport by someone who really wanted to share a dream with other people.We may not spend the money that the big owners spend or have the really big time trainers but we have a passion that can be seen every-time one of our horses race.It doesn't matter where the meeting is we are there supporting the industry and of course our horses. It is not just the members who are there but their family and their friends. We support the clubs by going on course, by using their catering and their bars and of course by betting but most importantly our money is supporting all clubs be they smaller clubs or bigger clubs. At Ashburton on Sat there will be a huge turnout of members, family and friends all contributing to the coffers of Harness racing in general.This is good for the club and Harness racing in general, Personally I don't care how many races the big owners or stables win because to them it will just be business as usual but for us it will be a dream come true. Win lose or draw we will be there in force and although a win would be great we are realists and know that our trainers will have done us proud regardless and that we still have 2 good horses, Finally a big thanks to Nathan Williamson, Phil Williamson and Brad Williamson for taking us on the drive of our life - good luck everyone!!
  24. I wouldn't get to excited folks, it will prob be all piss and wind and false promises like it usually is. To get anywhere you need big boys like the Vella's, Patrick Hogan, David Ellis and some other high profile trainers to side with the battlers and the real workers of the game and say enough is enough however pigs will fly before that happens as most of them are prob feeding from the same trough as the NZTR board.