Boss Hogg

I can take it, hiding behind a nom de plume and throwing stones, I love it!
So we wait for a death of another horse or a jockey, constructive criticism I think you will find it is called!
Love to meet you Blossom, voice your concerns face to face, I look forward to it!
Have a great day!

Reality,  A great day for Judith and the Nats . Talk back (which i don't often listen to) Full of politics with endless praise for Judith , it was a big win for Judith .
The next poll will be very interesting , if cindy loses 4 and Judith gains 4 then it's game on and the fake pm will crack under pressure , she almost cried last night . Jacinda has NEVER won anything , she was appointed last time and was appointed as leader of the world Youth Socialist movement ya ya Comrade . National is a sleeping giant that's why they were in front pre covid , labour is the most failed government in NZ history and if Judith keeps this up she can easily be PM . .
What's so bad with cindy is her failure to help her base , beneficiary's are getting hammered and Pensioners are  suffering the same fate , pensioners  life savings are being devalued , for a life time pensioners were told save save save , those who saved are getting 0.65% on their bank deposit , westpac $200,000 4 months  $22 a week in the hand . House prices booming ensures the less well off will never own a home . This government is a disgrace .

Rusty,  is that two cones ? . Used to be one I am sure  , was the second purchased as part of WP PGF , racing put bid in 3 AWT at xx millions and one road cone 50 bucks ? .

Hi  Turnip It was the best bar at Ellerslie  , with everyone dressed in their finest , the coldest 7 oz beer on the planet .I still when walking onto Ellerslie  look over to where the bar was and see my father standing there with a 7 oz in his hand and like your dad  Turnip ,he felt like a King for a day  ,Cheers BH

Hi Ohoka    We were driving up from Waiouru ,were in the CMT and had 6 of us in the landrover,  One of them wanted to back Simon de and the others allput in to back him  .Being the driver and said we cant stop at Taupo as we will get in the shit if we do. one of the boys had a transitor and when it won you could here a pin drop .Its amazing how long it took to get to Auckland in silence and in a Landrover,   Cheers BH

Been on boat trip on Adelaide River , jumping  crocs I recall. I see a Sebring- Dance on By gelding ran at Canterbury trials Tuesday , his half brother was at Cummings yard but  ended doing a tour like one of yours , he went back to back Birdsville then Mount Isa for a few before getting sacked . Humpty Doo should have a track , that's a town that used to be a bit different .

Hi Red  It is near the end of a long trip for many a trainer ,owner and Jockeys that had started back on the west coast ,trainers from Adelaide and Melbourne  had started to drop their slow horses at each race meeting as they traveled north to Broome and then across to Katherine and back down to Tennant Creek and Alice Springs.Katherine is a great day ,getting courtesy bus to and from the races  They get you out of there after the races to one of the clubs and courtesy bus will get you back to the caravan park ,no drink driving .Next biggest race day on the circuit after Broome.  A better meeting is a short 200 k's drive up the road to Adelaide River staying behind the pub and walking to track ,intertrack betting and bookies lot of fun ,back to caravan park for a beer by one of the best swimming pools and pubs in NT .It certainly gives your liver a hiding >CHeers BH

BH , you must have had some cracking days at Dustville Downs somewhere , I saw Katherine Races on trackside Saturday , looked a decent crowd and dusty . Spent a night there many years ago , I can only guess it gets a bit out of hand after the last .Good road in from Darwin past the termite mounds .

Hi Ohoka    We were driving up from Waiouru ,were in the CMT and had 6 of us in the landrover,  One of them wanted to back Simon de and the others allput in to back him  .Being the driver and said we cant stop at Taupo as we will get in the shit if we do. one of the boys had a transitor and when it won you could here a pin drop .Its amazing how long it took to get to Auckland in silence and in a Landrover,   Cheers BH

The Telegraph is the race i remember from that day , think it was Blue Bloods 3rd Telegraph , i was only 13/14 , and it left a lasting impression . 
I could talk all day about the racing thru the 70's , 80's and even most of the 90's , as i'm sure yourself and many others could . Just the best memories , it saddens me so much to see how far our racing has declined . I just take pleasure that i got to experience racing through that period .

Hi Nomates  Remember Timon winning big time ,We were bookmaking then and the pub was packed  ,we had taken huge bets  and as the Cup was coming up my Partner in Crime said we are dead and buried its going to be a blood bath .I said no one has backed Timon ,he said you are a f###kn idiot ,  Timon held on by a nose from Guest Star we were drinking Lion Red straight out of our shoes boy we new how to celebrate back then  Cheers BH

Here you go Dissident....the crowd outside the Trentham tote back in 1936....! Oh how we’d like to see scenes like that again now.....😉
We used to go there a lot as youngsters in the 70’s....particularly Cup Day...Il Tempo, Ansin and $180 shot Simon de Montfort in ‘72 that stunned everybody. Daria’s Fun in ‘88 running 3.15 or so, a time never bettered, Castletown winning his third cup in 1994.....great memories.
Some great horses in that time and personal favourites like Count Kereru who we won heaps off when he won the Telegraph at 30-1, Grey Way, Copper Belt, New Moon, La Mer and Show Gate. Even Winter meetings where Peter Louis usually won with Harry’s Pal or John’s Pal, Marebello a favourite and Ken Browne always seemed to win a few at the meeting...Peter Fearon rode one in the last one day at 25-1 which got us out of trouble....👍
We lived on the Gold Coast for a while and remember going to the local Golf Club at Tallai on Melbourne Cup Day to back Efficient which I had followed since it won the Derby in 2006. It had been favourite for the race from the time markets were listed but had gradually drifted with a succession of strange runs, different jockeys and tactics, blinkers, jumping and God knows what else. The Williams camp were only interested in one race and had him ready on the day with Michael Rodd back on....started at 25-1 and the cheers from that place you could have heard in Surfers when he won.
The better half was very happy with the cruise we had not long after. Day to remember that one......😉

I was at Flemington the day Sir Silver Lad won during the Melb Cup carnival, after a poor run in the Cox Plate when ridden by Des Wyatt. Brent Thompson was put on at Flemington. I thought the Cox Plate ride was average and with The Babe on, it would run better at Flemington. Prior to the race I ran into a client of mine who shouted me a beer and proceeded to tell me that he hadn’t backed a winner all day and was down $9000. I told him why I thought Silver Lad was a good bet at 6/1. Anyway, I saw him later and he insisted he buy me another drink because my tip got him out of the crap! I said it couldn’t have - because he was down $9000! He then said he won more than that off Silver Lad - thanks to me. I had $10 on it......

I've posted this on here before , but i tell the younger ones in our game about how Trentham in July used to a 3 day meeting , and you couldn't get a seat on a wet day , even the Wednesday , if you moved without someone to keep it for you , you lost it . Used to skip college in the early 70's to go . And that horses used to win all 3 days , the likes of Greek Meer , Rising Damp , even the lower grades would race all 3 days and win , great memories and greatly missed .

Yes, I have sadly been at Trentham on a sorry winter weekday, where I struggled to find 5 ppl to count on course(excluding members which maybe scraped in at 20 odd). It really made it hit home just how close to dying the industry is.
I had many great days on course at Awapuni as a kid in the 80s and 90s, highlight always being the boxing day races with bouncy castles etc-there was always good family entertainment on course and a decent crowd. Sometimes they would run competitions for kids as well. Later on my aunt and uncle had a homebred racehorse who had a few wins there which always added excitement.
Also have fond memories of watching Castletown with Dad, winning from the back on free to air tv. While Mum was at work he would be happily placing bets over the phone with the local tab.
Watching Winx win her 4th Cox plate after a day at Trentham was a memorable moment, with good company. For me, more recently having moved to the Waikato I have loved being able to go to meetings like Legends Day, Waikato Cup Day, and a real highlight was Karaka Millions, boy what an atmosphere! There is life left there yet. The bet/win would have to be the filly I have a share in winning her first start. Certainly got me yelling more than anticipated. Great topic, I enjoy reading the stories. 

I remember the near misses and tales of woe , as a kid my dad took me Sandown Park a lot . He is a hard man , zero emotion shown in the main bar when he is gambling or abusing his football team  . Mid winter meeting  first race , freezing . I still remember the horse " Benny's Boy " , it was lengths clear over the last and stormed up the hill , suddenly the fuel warning light came on and he was empty and got nutted. He turned to me with massive tears I can still see now in my mind ,  filling up his eyeballs " you crying Dad " . " no Iam bloody not , it's the cold  wind " . He was gutted I could tell. Still  have him on about that the  times we meet up,  40 years on . Both our ashes are heading to that hill .

Sounds a bit like me Coops. Introduced to betting by mate at school (much to the chagrin of my parents) and mostly bet on Doubles. Good sized fields and pools usually and still remember the good collects. Prince Petary/Blue Blood, Forebrace/Impartial (no's 13 and 13 at Pukekohe), Krazikid/The Greatest ( 1 and 10 down south,Timaru?), Untried/ Robin Royal, etc Had bought a Mini and a Suzuki 500 by the time I was 17! Betting money aggregated entirely from selling bottles and going hungry to bet with school lunch money and Best Bets my most intimate companion.Very obliging older punters to place my bets at Browns Bay and Milford TAB's. Lament losing the vibe that went with the packed stands and crowd emotion during the races but from whence my passion for the sport came I will probably never know.

At age 14 I went to see Stipulate win the Wellington Cup.  He got beaten by a South Island horse.  Top deck of the public stand at Trentham.  It was standing room only.  Stipulate's owner got 2000 quid for second, and joined my parents at the motel for a feed of fish and chips for dinner.  Dining preferences have changed over the past fifty seven years.  What got us to Trentham was the Sales; we had the first North Island crop of Messmate horses to sell.
I was back at Trentham 18 months ago.  On the top deck were two other punters and a female official.  I was by myself at the north end as I sometimes like to watch races from the 150 metre peg.  Surprisingly the official approached me.  She told me that I must extinguish the gasper I had.  She looked as happy as Megan Woods would look if the person in front of Megan had bought the last pie.

Loving these stories. I remember my first big collect. It was at Marton races. I got the double Gaystefan - Happy Venture.  £78. I was 10:years old (shouldn’t have been  betting , but my father put it on for me). I am now 71 and that’s what started my gambling. Always packed courses and when it rained they threw hay down on the ground and towed the cars out with tractors. Country racing at its best. 

Hi Meomy  we ended up in the garden bar just opposite the Hill Stand  great time left the course at 7.30  it doesn't get any better than that  .We've been to 8 Melbourne Cup weeks and it is something everyone should do .No two carnivals are the same ,Cheers BH

Were talking to mate of mine about The Good Old Days of racing in the 60's and 70's when going to the races was a great day out .With big crowds and a huge atmosphere making you want to be part of the action ,picking winners and screaming the place down  .Now I got to thinking its been a long time since we enjoyed those times . When you go to the pub for a beer it doesn't matter what you talk about after a couple of minutes someone will always start on about Covid  FFS. So a just thought for a change do you remember what was the best day you and your mates have had at the races ?  What was your best win? when you screamed the house down pissing everyone off around you  .In recent years going to the races seams very subdued compared to those days when punters were larger than life .  One of our  big collects  in the mid 70's was we backed Purple Pearl in the Great Northern Guineas to beat Balmerino  brilliant ride by Warrick Robinson keeping Balmerino jammed up on the fence we were yelling all the way up the straight and back over to the old Garden bar behind the old tote .A great day and nite  ,the good old days great memories  , Cheers BH

Were talking to mate of mine about The Good Old Days of racing in the 60's and 70's when going to the races was a great day out .With big crowds and a huge atmosphere making you want to be part of the action ,picking winners and screaming the place down  .Now I got to thinking its been a long time since we enjoyed those times . When you go to the pub for a beer it doesn't matter what you talk about after a couple of minutes someone will always start on about Covid  FFS. So a just thought for a change do you remember what was the best day you and your mates have had at the races ?  What was your best win? when you screamed the house down pissing everyone off around you  .In recent years going to the races seams very subdued compared to those days when punters were larger than life .  One of our  big collects  in the mid 70's was we backed Purple Pearl in the Great Northern Guineas to beat Balmerino  brilliant ride by Warrick Robinson keeping Balmerino jammed up on the fence we were yelling all the way up the straight and back over to the old Garden bar behind the old tote .A great day and nite  ,the good old days great memories  , Cheers BH

Remember HTR well, trained by David Hall and ridden by Glen Boss. Few months later he ran 2nd to Northerly in the Aust Cup. So his Derby win was no fluke. Being by Maroof, he performed best on tracks with the sting out. He must have broken down because he retired quite young - I guess that’s what happens to many that race over 2500m Early in their 3yo year. 

Hi Trumpy that would be a dream day , were in Melbourne 2000 ,in a bar the day before Derby  this group of people were having a great time  real big party ,we managed to wedge in with them and even stayed on for tea ,its hard to get rid of us once we get our foot in the door.  They had a horse in the Derby called Hit the Roof told us it would win and they had thousands on it and told us to back it.  Well being a know all never thought it would win .Home it rolled $40 ,the wife still brings it up, god they never let you forget anything,  Cheers BH

Hi Trumpy that would be a dream day , were in Melbourne 2000 ,in a bar the day before Derby  this group of people were having a great time  real big party ,we managed to wedge in with them and even stayed on for tea ,its hard to get rid of us once we get our foot in the door.  They had a horse in the Derby called Hit the Roof told us it would win and they had thousands on it and told us to back it.  Well being a know all never thought it would win .Home it rolled $40 ,the wife still brings it up, god they never let you forget anything,  Cheers BH