TARANTULA

The drone view of standing starts really show how shambolic they are.
Who wants to have a bet when a certain number of the horses are either turning in or a couple of lengths behind - disgraceful - bring back LAMB - I didn't think anyone could be worse than Lamb but there you go I am proven wrong again.
Are there any rules about how these races are meant to be started or is it a just start them as you see fit attitude

As NZ Racing is becoming more and more of a laughing stock, how can things ever be expected to improve when the heads of the responsible organizations just continue to roll out PR spin or are totally M.I A.?
There seems to be an 'immunity to accountabilty' in these roles which will just allow the crisis to deepen until the next unaccountable lot take over.
For an industry that was once widely respected from fellow industries worldwide we have now just sadly disappeared into the shadows and become insignificant on a global basis.  
Perhaps the industry participants need to take action that might force change?
Owners, trainers, jockeys and all other associated employees here in New Zealand are poorly done by and falling behind as each and every year goes by.
My thoughts are that there should be a 'coming together' of all these parties and strike action served to NZTR - for the entire week starting xxx, there will be no horses (harness included?) presented for racing.
This situation has been survivable before (lockdowns), and at least this will be a planned absence from the track, rather than what is being served up to them now and the mostly non-recoverable costs that abandonements cause.
There are many and various industry participants in Racecafe so I would like to hear others thoughts around accountability and change.

I would add some thoughts , but been there done that and I am now firmly of the belief that there is an agenda and no one is going to make them deviate from it .
What it is I have no idea but if the current situation is part of the pathway then I bow to the great Chris Rea's "Road to hell" theory . 

Leading driver Sarah O'Reilly faces an extended spell on the sidelines after a trackwork accident at Ashburton Raceway yesterday.
She is currently in hospital awaiting surgery on her arm and has a broken cheekbone and jaw.
"The horse in behind me jumped into my cart," she says, "and it crushed me."
"It was no-one's fault. They were young ones."

O'Reilly sent an image of her x-ray showing her broken arm.
"I'm not sure what the recovery time will be."
After being the country's top junior driver in recent years, O'Reilly is now in her first year as an open driver.
She is currently 12th in the drivers' premiership with 32 wins in 2024.
 

I know I joked earlier about throwing the seeding round in order to partner with the top seed.
Just wanted to say that it was honest attempt today.  My picks were just shithouse😄
Hope my eventual partner has big shoulders...

If they want to get more horses racing so we increase betting on harness they should be taking up your suggestion of a token 2 points for a win.  That will keep more horses in that grade leading to larger  fields or possibly more races. 5 points in a $8k race makes no sense at all.  To make this work you need a decent discount on points to match the lower stake money.  Trainers most likely won’t even perceive getting 5 points instead of 6 is any material benefit to their horse. 

Whilst I agree harness racing is far stronger in the South Island than the North Island, it would never survive as a South Island only sport, so somehow they have to rebuild interest in the North. I just hope they haven't left it too long to act. There's certainly been very little of interest happening at Alex Park in some years, save for the balls up with the apartments, the disgraceful removal of the museum etc. certainly very little positive outside of a renewed interest by Aussie pacers and trotters in taking our cash back across the ditch.  

So what was in this announcement that may encourage more mares to be served in the year ahead? Maybe the recurring heats and $35k finals idea for Auckland, unfortunately presumably being subsidised yet again from owners and trainers in Canterbury, and we didn't see anything equivalent being promoted for the more successful venues in the South . Even more so hopefully the new fillies and mares race structure which is still to be detailed. But nothing at all to indicate why Methven (and others) is not supported to run an extra race day or to be able to put on every race for at least $15,000, which is what it should be entitled to do from the betting revenue it generates for its local owners and trainers.
Earlier this year the acting GM of HRNZ said the 1758 mares served for 2023/24 "was not a disaster but less than we had hoped for". Well compared to the 2552 of 8 years earlier it looks like a bit of a disaster to me. And I agree with Cee Me Now that HRNZ seem to just keep on forgetting or ignoring the crumbling foundations this statistic represents. They seem wholly focussed on cross subsidising and moving money around the country to who yells loudest through early racing incentives and shifting $ millions south to north (where the owners/ breeders aren't). To be fair we await the rest of the detail in " The Future Starts Now", but at this stage it seems all about the 20, whilst the 80 that keeps the industry afloat are increasingly (relatively speaking) only doing so for love rather than money.
And as a small aside, Harness Racing Unhinged has 12,000 followers currently, i believe the best number that "The Future Starts Now" Facebook feed had watching on Friday was around 250. Happy to be told I'm wrong, but if I'm not, that's a bit of a worry about how few harness racing enthusiasts HRNZ have to worry about to basically do what they like. 
 

Money  Money  Money  its a Rich Mans World  aaah  aaah  aaaah
Thirty years ago, or probably more, I wrote an opinion stating that the reason the pyramids were still standing, 5000 years after they were built, was that the Egyptians understood the fundamental truth, that if you want to go UP,  you need a strong foundation to build upon, the base is the most important thing, HRNZ still don't get it.
 

Exactly Tarantula .. it's just not on, so bloody misleading especially for people who might be just starting or thinking of having a bit of fun.

Hi PALLISER.    FULL OF SWAGGER. TRACK 4…0….0….0.   BOX. 3….0…0…0.   STARTS 5….0….0….0.   TOP. 7 CHANCE.!!!!!!7STARTERS.
FUNNY ….NOT IN FIRST 4…….FALSE INFORMATION IS ONE PROBLEM OF MANY.

 

Also Foxmerts has said anything won is to go to Insiders charity...so fingers crossed.
 

Poor Katie .....copping the dreaded cancer at just 34 and passed away yesterday.
It really makes you appreciate being alive as none of us are here for very long and Katie was just coming into her prime!!!
RIP Katie.

Gudday John 
while I got the chance can I please have $50 e/w on Hastings R3  6 Fleming
TY to both you and Leigh and of course our secret donor

75 days since HRNZ released any race turnover, betting return information for the industry, Looks like the days of transparency have probably ended.
Notably also the HRNZ media release on 24 April touting "revamped harness calendar to fuel stakeholder and partner growth" promised "releasing our strategic plan in mid-May which underpins and supports the revised calendar". Haven't seen it!
Last "Monthly Update from the Chair" of HRNZ 35 days ago made no reference to that 24 April strategic plan statement but had a timeline that promised "Code funding agreement " by end July- a worsktream that the HRNZ Board owns. The subcommittee's "Horse Utilisation/ Population" work is even further away- end September 
The HRNZ Board is being renewed., applications now open.  
The first of the dual Tuesday / Friday North Island weekly meeting sequence kicks off in early August, less than 40 days away, no mention yet of any programmes or stakes to fit this new pattern, and nothing to change utlisation till months later , if this in fact either possible or desirable.
Even without disclosure of betting turnover and gross betting returns rest assured Canterbury owners and trainers have subsidised North Island racing by at least $2m this year, as they did last, but without transparency of turnovers and GBR, or more importantly action by Canterbury owners, trainers and clubs to fix this, this situation looks doomed to continue. But it isn't a sustainable funding model now and when the Entain tap turns off in 4 years the day of reckoning will come.
Who knows how much more in subsidies are going to be put in place from next month to support the new Tuesday/Friday North Island structure- will HRNZ tell anyone?
Meanwhile all the key Sunday meetings in the South Island country clubs, the primary source of that subsidy, face increased thoroughbred competition for the ever more stretched punting dollar in '24/25. The goose that with Addington lays most of the golden egg is going to find it tough from August onwards.
A "harness calendar to fuel stakeholder and partner growth" or a calendar and funding structure to keep Alexandra Park afloat? The next year will tell us a lot, if HRNZ tells us anything, and if its the latter will Canterbury owners and trainers whose $millions are being lost every year do something about it?
Interesting times, but starting to look bleak in the current economic environment and with everyone not acknowleding the shape harness racing is really in, and planning for that reality accordingly.
 
 

Congrats Foxmerts and thanks to all who entered the comps are made what they are because of your participation and of course Saynomores endless contributions which are selfless to say the least...and really appreciated by RC.

Big thanks to all contestants, sponsor and organizer for making this such an exciting competition.  It certainly required us putting our thinking caps on each week!

Congrats to the 8 who made it to the end. It was an exciting competition, can't wait for the next one. Thanks John and Leigh.

FINAL RESULTS
48 started and only 8 reached the finish line.
Congratulations to our winner Foxmerts - down to their last life after Week 5 and sitting in around 15th place at that point but scored highly over the final 4 weeks to take the title of LGL champion - well done!!
Thanks to all who took part - look out for another comp starting soon!
 

 

Well done to those that lasted the distance. Particularly Foxmerts who was a bit more adventurous than Mr Gee and reaped the reward.
Many thanks SNM for the brilliant scoring. Great Comp.

My back of the envelope maths has it:
Mr Gee 533 + 27 or so = 560ish
Foxmerts 490 + 98 or so = 588ish
Chestnut still to play on 481 but at current odds would be approx 73 to be earned = 554ish max
Stoyd 446 + 71 earned and another possible 21 at current odds = 538ish
 
Would seem the West Coast race has blown the competition right open but someone auditing the above wouldnt hurt 🤓

GOOD MORNING NOMATES.  THANKS FOR THE COMMENTS.
THE STEWARDS WOULD NOT BE AWAKE TO THAT SORT OF SKULLDUGGERY.  LAST WEEK JOCKEY WAS FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS TO ONLY RUN A PLACE AND NOT GET REHANDICAPPED.      2nd HIGHEST TOTAL LAST WEEK.WOULD HAVE BEEN PAYING $13 A PLACE. UNDER THE RADAR.
HAVE A GOOD DAY.

Think the stewards will have a question or two for your jockey and why he didn't move sooner , 😂 , but well done on surviving till the end , better than most .

GOOD MORNING.MANY THANKS TO JOHN AND SCOOBY FOR A GREAT CONTEST.JOHN ….THANKS FOR THE STAYERS PERFORMANCE ON THE DETAILED SCORING , KEEPING OUR RACING SATURDAYS INTERESTING.
FINAL WEEK FOR THE LOSERS.WE DID IT.WE ARE ALL WINNERS.
HASTINGS R5…….DEVOTED    JOKER                      KENTUCKY BOY MAY BEAT IT  ??
EAGLE FARM R8..BELLA NIPOTINA                        DRAW 15 MAY STOP IT ??
ALL THE BEST 
HAPPY PUNTING EVERYONE.
 
 

Well this is getting to the do or die end...   the mix of lives lost and jokers used is intriguing, I'm the only one with 1 / 1 ..   not that that means anything at all at the end of the day if I select two winners ...   but up to me to use them entainelligently ...  and if everyone goes for broke.. dear old octolimbed one just could do the deed