TurnyTom

So what so you only joined to say that, how heartless can you be at this sad tragic time.
Please be sensitive to the situation, this is someones son who has tragically been taken, how would you feel if it was your son.

Same problem as if you were being forced to buy all your groceries from your local dairy.

Mrs Browne was one of my first interviewees, and she was wonderful. How good were the days of seeing their colours over the Ellerslie Hill - and I remember Kenny holding on for dear life one day before remounting.

So very right Max. Mrs Brown was a great supporter of horse racing (particularly jumping) and its younger industry participants, and has been for many a year. A wonderful article. 

i understand that, and fair enough, but we've heard the 'OP is back' and therOP is retiring/retired/struggling with his weight/attitude/motivation several times before. I love to se einsights about the humble, huge contributors to NZ racing, the people who don't get the puff pieseces written about thre, the people who just get out of bed very early every morning and work their bums off with the hope of winning a big race one day...

Agree Max, and great article.
Jess rides trackwork down here.

Aussies are not particularly sophisticated or clever punters. They love red hot favs even more than NZers. They believe all the media hype then get nasty when an over hyped horse gets beaten.

Leggy, you're on a winning cause here, mate. Keep showing the pics and build a library of evidence then if the Stipes continue to turn a blind eye to this BS, start a petition. The last thing NZ Racing needs now is a bunfight via media over animal welfare, so the powers-that-be weill know they need to startt taking action over the 'flank' issue.

Well said as many before you...if only people like the posters here could get any say and that anyone would listen then it might have had a chance to keep the grass roots the heart and soul of NZ Racing alive but slowly as you say the farmers, having their local meetings taken away, the country folk slowly having their race meetings taken away and slowly closing down the local TAB's all over the country the drip drip affect has become a raging torrent...unstoppable now.

Well said Pam
From talking to non racing people in my circles the biggest put off is the whip, they detest it and look upon it as brutality and cruelty. This has to be addressed, as it surely is a major issue
Watching Australian racing, in particular the provincials, the flogging of horses is horrendous … really is a big big major
The other major put off is the whole day is gone, the days of first race 11.30 last race 5.10 is well gone, people are just no longer tuned in to “give a day” on anything let alone racing

Well said Pam
From talking to non racing people in my circles the biggest put off is the whip, they detest it and look upon it as brutality and cruelty. This has to be addressed, as it surely is a major issue
Watching Australian racing, in particular the provincials, the flogging of horses is horrendous … really is a big big major
The other major put off is the whole day is gone, the days of first race 11.30 last race 5.10 is well gone, people are just no longer tuned in to “give a day” on anything let alone racing

I think alarm bells must have been ringing last year after Via Sistina's connections chose to pass over the race when looking a huge chance and it ended up a very average handicapper winning it. Perhaps they're hoping a prizemoney boost will attract a few of the top class horses it needs. 

That's hardly surprising is it? Jumping and age group races aside, I doubt there are a dozen staying races in NZ's season calendar through all the grades. We are at a point where it is likely that more Oz based horses will run in our major staying races than NZ based horses start in the MC.

I reckon something will come through from the synthetic racing .

The Vic and NSW battle continues

The Vic and NSW battle continues

SB, yesterday was HQs Winter final day and mostly a GF day for those headed to the paddock for return in Spring. The $ on offer are very attractive for the lesser horses hence why she started I guess 

I thought she would comfortably put the field away but for the last 30 metres she seemed to flounder somewhat and Jamie put no further pressure on her but don’t think she was going to catch the winner anyway as she seemed to have bottomed out late
I think she will return and view her sweet spot as 1100/1200m preferably on the straight 1200 with a wide draw and good ground.
My friends in MLB tell me she is very very highly rated but that is in the future I guess, time will tell
 

SB, yesterday was HQs Winter final day and mostly a GF day for those headed to the paddock for return in Spring. The $ on offer are very attractive for the lesser horses hence why she started I guess 

I thought she would comfortably put the field away but for the last 30 metres she seemed to flounder somewhat and Jamie put no further pressure on her but don’t think she was going to catch the winner anyway as she seemed to have bottomed out late
I think she will return and view her sweet spot as 1100/1200m preferably on the straight 1200 with a wide draw and good ground.
My friends in MLB tell me she is very very highly rated but that is in the future I guess, time will tell
 

Wouldn’t be writing her off that quickly Sunshine.
Melham thought the two weeks was too short for her and the softer ground wouldn’t have helped either.

My favs are Duff and Radley, very professional and deep in identifying trials performers ready to run
Great show

Ain’t that the fact of the matter
Distanced themselves from the masses, at all levels, and Corporatised racing.
The show is all but over, very very sad

Ain’t that the fact of the matter
Distanced themselves from the masses, at all levels, and Corporatised racing.
The show is all but over, very very sad

I think they simply dropped the ball , felt they didn't have to work to retain their core customer base .
All too late now .

Rangiora? 
Or is the land too valuable for future housing?
Sadly SI racing is becoming the backwater with no impetus for those at the helm to protect their patch
Lord knows what SI racing will look like in 10 years, or even 5 years …. Disaster unfolding in the Captain less ship

And some wont even train on them...look how many trials are cancelled week after week.