Just Looking

Aidan Rodley said it like it was on trackside - if the trackside crew were in the room with masks on how was it any different than interviewing a jockey after the race or the now groups of 200!!! allowed in a room anywhere else on course with no masks etc 
Excluding trackside didn’t make sense and like all said added to the theatre  
 

Understand your frustration Tony.
Hope Sarah is Ok , she was getting carved up all day .
Hope she's ok for her Wedding next Saturday, thoughts are really with her in that respect also.
Yes Katie came in but Asano was the main culprit, from the rail to centre track without any attempt to straighten. If Kate gets 4 weeks , Kozzi should get 8 weeks.
I see Laking got 9 days for a brush while pushing out on a horse that wasn't going to figure in the finish , and a fine.
Allpress got 5 days on Stumpy for another brush, not great riding but suspensions surely not commensurate with the crimes.
Gotta say the stipes and system seem totally inept.
 
 

Obviously still trying the resolve the fall. It looked to me like both the leaders changed their line and closed the gap on the faller. The outside horse only seemed to move in slightly if you look at it in relation to the mown strip. The inside horse moved the most and closed the gap the faller was about to go through. Both jockeys would be in trouble I would say but probably Asano, I think it was, more so.

You are late to the party Berri.  This is exactly what a lot of people have been going on about.  
The pattern committee noted that a lot of our higher rated horses were not going in the handicaps as felt they were getting too much weight (we do not have enough high enough rated horses).  So the handicaps were being won and placed by lower rated horses.  So the group 1s like the Auckland Cup, the Railway etc were getting warnings.  The pattern committee wanted to protect the status of these races for breeders and nz racing industry.  So to get the better horses (higher rated horses) in these races they were converted to SW&P (set weights and penalties).
In SW&P basically all horses start on 55kg and you get kg for every blacktype race won in last year.  Hence why we had the debacle in the Thorndon Mile of The Choosen One rated 107 receiving weight (carried 55kg)  from Mali Storm rated 90 (carried 57kg).
Its a mess now, progessive horses have no handicaps worth going in.  So off to Australia.

We are racing again at New Plymouth on Friday.  What has been done with the track to ensure a safe racing surface since the races were abandoned 10 days ago?

Anyone know one of the jockeys who rode there. I would like to hear their view.
I don't think that the fence was off at all!

Surprised no post on how the Trentham track has been playing - Race Images reaching for the wide angle lense to capture winners on the outside fence 🤷‍♀️   
 
Wgtn cup be run over 3500 metres at that rate 

What a joke this all becoming. A Dead 4 and they cant even race against the rail and yet a Dead 4 at Ellerslie and they race against the rail. Des Coppins your column will be hilarious this week when you tell us the rail was okay yet again. When will you own up to the fact you have no idea on your track.

Hi Super Sleuths - where was this photo taken and what can you tell me about Ngatoa?

Hi Super Sleuths - where was this photo taken and what can you tell me about Ngatoa?

Hi Super Sleuths - where was this photo taken and what can you tell me about Ngatoa?

Hi Super Sleuths - where was this photo taken and what can you tell me about Ngatoa?

Hi Super Sleuths - where was this photo taken and what can you tell me about Ngatoa?

Hi Super Sleuths - where was this photo taken and what can you tell me about Ngatoa?

Define a good licensee ?   You surely can’t call Jason that ?  What employer would retain an employee for drug positives - threatening to kill and wilful damage - would be instant dismissive in most workplaces ? 
You can only help someone who wants to be helped 
 
 

Define a good licensee ?   You surely can’t call Jason that ?  What employer would retain an employee for drug positives - threatening to kill and wilful damage - would be instant dismissive in most workplaces ? 
You can only help someone who wants to be helped 
 
 

Define a good licensee ?   You surely can’t call Jason that ?  What employer would retain an employee for drug positives - threatening to kill and wilful damage - would be instant dismissive in most workplaces ? 
You can only help someone who wants to be helped 
 
 

Thats actually not that funny - if there had been an accident what would have been said then.  There are rules for a reason - many high risk industries have a zero tolerance for alcohol, and a 24 hour clear rule - expecting a jockey to present at the races with a limit below 100 at 12pm raceday is not unreasonable - the rules clearly state it.  
 
Many standard workplace drug and alcohol policies enforce six unannounced random tests to an employee who has undergone drug or alcohol rehabilitation.  

And NZTR can make their own health and safety measures on top of legislation to allow racing to continue 
I would suggest unless you have that exemption from a doctor and presented to stipendary stewards you will not be allowed on course  
At the end of the day we are trying to maintain racing so that we can be working and earning - 

Your argument is completely flawed, you wear shoes don't you?

It's a global pandemic, this virus is highly infectious and our response is fight or die.  

Broadcasting changes everything, racing has to be seen as representatives to the general public. Vlandy's has enforced so many rules on Australian racing and it's why they've successfully kept their product running. 

The money for all weather tracks was allocated from the regional development funds for all areas, not just racing - this was done well before Covid hit and the amageddon that occurred for racing that forced change.  This money is tied to being only for the specific area and purpose and cant be used for anything else

At the stadium it will be because there are thousands of excitable types getting on the booze. Puha and the Wanganui gallops somehow doesn't elicit that same image.

Won after three or four starts with experience down on a much lower minimum than the 55kg tomorrow   - this is a first starter - no Raceday Experience - and one trial   - let’s see ...if it gets off the ballot 

I really can't see how the Taranaki Jockey Club could have got it wrong.
From the companies office web site.....
"A name change does not affect the rights or liabilities of the incorporated society, and doesn't affect legal proceedings by, or against, the society. Legal proceedings taken against the society under its former name may be continued against it under its new name"

Thanks for the opportunity Dean.
  Given RITA's mandate is to implement the Messara Report, can you update progress and / or current thinking on the following please :   1. Increasing revenue is obviously a prime objective for all stakeholders in NZ. Changes to the Racing Act 2003 will be required before many of the recommendations can proceed....the main one being the reduction in courses from 48 to 28 and the vesting in NZTR of the ownership of freehold racecourse land and other net assets of Race Clubs. Given the opposition to date to these recommendations ( Avondale a prime example ), the the likelihood of lengthy legal battles, and the general distrust of the Industry in the capacity of NZTR to effectively manage these assets given their record to date, are these still seriously considered viable options ?   2. The building of three synthetic racing and training tracks over the next 3 years at Cambridge, Awapuni and Riccarton will require an investment of some $190m and will depend largely on the changes above. We understand the Cambridge development is proceeding with PWC currently undertaking a feasibility study while resource consents are obtained. What expert opinion on these type of tracks has been obtained and included in the decision making process, given that soil bases are different in NZ and the "one size fits all" approach is not necessarily the right one....? Are Awapuni and Riccarton still regarded as the other "obvious" sites ??   3. Increasing stakes is vital for the NZ Racing Industry to survive going forward and the recommendation to introduce a simplified 3 Tier structure for New Zealand thoroughbred racing and a Prizemoney Matrix that will provide for about $110 million of prizemoney (up from $53.7 million in 2016/17 and an estimated $59.4 million in 2017/18.) is a commendable approach. Problem is we have heard the same thing for years from a succession of "Industry leaders" and where are we ? Murray Baker clearly has reservations...! How confident are you this can be achieved ??   4. The other side of the increasing revenue equation is controlling costs. The Minister has requested a Performance and Efficiency Audit of NZRB Operating costs which appear to most to have got completely out of hand. When are we likely to see this report ?   Cheers Ohokaman  
(1)   The venue issue is one that has hovered around New Zealand racing for generations so we are under no illusion that there is no magic wand, so to speak, that we can wave to solve some of the issues you have alluded to. What we have attempted to do in the development of the second bill is put forward an evaluation and dispute resolution framework that the industry can potentially use to drive some reform in this area. Driven on the back of the Future Venue Plan process, which is an industry wide initiative, this framework can hopefully help provide a clearer pathway as to why the industry may believe a venue is now not required for racing (by measuring certain agreed criteria) and if after going through this evaluation process there is disagreement between code and club, that there is a formal dispute resolution process the industry can work through to get to an end point. We await direction from the government on the considerable on-going work that has been done in this area. 
 
(2)   The Messara Review recommended three synthetic racing and training tracks be constructed at Cambridge, Awapuni and Riccarton. I can see how you have read from the Messara Review that the cost of that is $190m, given how it was written, but that included his estimated cost of upgrading the racing and facilities infrastructure at all the remaining tracks. Although I am not privy to any actual numbers, the approximate cost of the three synthetic racing and training tracks is probably more in the $35m to $45m range I would have thought. NZTR, along with the Cambridge Jockey Club, are driving the Cambridge project and my understanding is there has been extensive involvement of track specialists in this process. You are also correct that it would be prudent for the industry to bed down the Cambridge project prior to moving further down the synthetic track pathway but ultimately that is the decision of NZTR. 
 
(3)   You are right, again, that the success or otherwise of the reform programme will predominantly be measured on what increases in prizemoney eventuate. Ultimately how prizemoney is structured/paid is up to the codes and our job at RITA is ensure the reform programme is successfully implemented and the commercial focus of the TAB is enhanced to ensure revenue to the codes (to pay prize money) is maximised. The reality is there is no single silver bullet that will make this all happen, rather a collection of initiatives that together will drive these outcomes. As I type this reply, we are probably around 60% through the reform programme and await clarification of some crucial aspects over the next month or so to give us a clearer guide as to where we are going. Provided these dominos fall in the right order, the industry can be confident that we are better placed than we have ever been to deliver a financially sustainable, revitalised future. 
 
(4)   Good question. We have just reviewed this document at our last board meeting on September 25 and this should make its way through the formal process over the next month. You can be assured however that there is a strong desire by RITA to manage its business in the most efficient way possible.