Scotch Thistle

Mark McNamara and English Emily did their jobs well, and the camera crew.  The rest should be on the minimum adult wage.

I like Steve myself. He doesn't pretend to be something he isn't. The others try to come across as experts when they have very little credibility. At best they are mostly continuity presenters rather than expert commentators.

Mark McNamara and English Emily did their jobs well, and the camera crew.  The rest should be on the minimum adult wage.

Just a total embarassment ....too many conflicts of interest...but its a small gene puddle, so no one involved is too far outside the 2 degrees of separation...and its sooo boring! I will say Steve Davis shows a bit of life...talks a lot but if you don't take him too seriously, (I don't think he takes himself too seriously either) he's passable....

who above them would know that they were errors?

Is it just me that's pissed off every year by the so called NZ experts waffle aimlessly about Melbourne cup fields when the real experts i.e Channel 7 are providing an amazing coverage of all the races. Its just plain nonsense to cross over to them with a few minutes to racetime  when they could use at least one channel to let Channel 7 do the whole preview. A bonus would be not having to listen to Rodley Sweeny etc waffle on about things they know very little about.

Make it a plan B, Betfair

Winston will have it fixed for next year if he survives leading the way into Pike River to collect the bones.

Winston will have it fixed for next year if he survives leading the way into Pike River to collect the bones.

Duracell...choice of champions...?....
 

I just hope the talking heads on Trackside are paid according to the (lack of) quality of their performances.
A couple of items amused me last weekend.  Rodley, interviewing Bruce Harvey after Londaro won the first at Hastings, a $10K maiden, suggested that Harvey must be pleased that his horse had won a good race on a big day of racing.  Next day at Te Rapa Prattlewell announced before the opening event that the horses were about to be legged up by their jockeys.

Not feasible really--imagine Smedley, Thatz David and a couple of Frank Stammers' stars lining up. Another Mitchelson Cup.

Yes, but would Noel Eales have been half as bright as Butch Castles, or have known half as much as Butch has forgotten?

Yes, but would Noel Eales have been half as bright as Butch Castles, or have known half as much as Butch has forgotten?

Yes, but would Noel Eales have been half as bright as Butch Castles, or have known half as much as Butch has forgotten?

Ohokaman the difference is that back in the 70's and 80's  track managers and even a lot of committee members had extensive farming backgrounds and new about pasture growth and management. Many clubs also strip grazed sheep to consolidate the track surfaces.

I've had a hard job working out who the two are.  One must be Castles, but the other is a challenge.  It helps that Michael Pitman and Jelly Williams don't have anything in, and that Danica Guy isn't a boy.  I've got it down to Allan Sharrock or David Ellis, but the chances don't end there!!

I've had a hard job working out who the two are.  One must be Castles, but the other is a challenge.  It helps that Michael Pitman and Jelly Williams don't have anything in, and that Danica Guy isn't a boy.  I've got it down to Allan Sharrock or David Ellis, but the chances don't end there!!

Surely the bureaucrats in the NZ High Commission in Canberra must have picked up the risk to NZ interests in the legislation passed in August 2017?  And sent an alert to Foreign Affairs in Wellington, and through them to Internal Affairs and the NZRB?   
Maybe the diplomats turned a wilful blind eye, to spite John Allen for the shambolic restructurings and staff victimisations he pursued for McCully when CE of Foreign Affairs. 
The amendment bill which did the damage was before the Federal Parliament in Canberra for a full year.  It was introduced in August 2016 and assented to on 16 August 2017. 
If the NZ diplomats in Canberra are hopelessly overwhelmed in schmoozing and pocket pissing, Allen might have a clerk in NZRB spend half an hour a week on the internet scanning parliamentary business in Australia and other countries for risks, to avoid being blindsided again.  A clerk paid less than $100K a year, if such exist in NZRB.

Surely the bureaucrats in the NZ High Commission in Canberra must have picked up the risk to NZ interests in the legislation passed in August 2017?  And sent an alert to Foreign Affairs in Wellington, and through them to Internal Affairs and the NZRB?   
Maybe the diplomats turned a wilful blind eye, to spite John Allen for the shambolic restructurings and staff victimisations he pursued for McCully when CE of Foreign Affairs. 
The amendment bill which did the damage was before the Federal Parliament in Canberra for a full year.  It was introduced in August 2016 and assented to on 16 August 2017. 
If the NZ diplomats in Canberra are hopelessly overwhelmed in schmoozing and pocket pissing, Allen might have a clerk in NZRB spend half an hour a week on the internet scanning parliamentary business in Australia and other countries for risks, to avoid being blindsided again.  A clerk paid less than $100K a year, if such exist in NZRB.

Are you suggesting they're both bisexuals?

On television at the moment is an ad about anti gambling. I'm not adverse to that BUT the advertisers use a commentary of a race with the content being questions surrounding whether a person is addicted. So why is it that the add uses a race call? It means that everyone is still of the impression that most of the betting addiction is associated with horse racing. Why not the bloody pokies or lotteries? How many people do you think are playing Powerball when they can't afford it?
Why isn't the NZRB or NZTR complaining to the advertising authority saying it portrays the industry in bad light and that the lotteries and pokies should be included in the ad? We can't continue to let the ball be dropped. We're in the shit as it is.

What a super race at Ellerslie, the hurdle ranks this year certainly has some serious depth to it.
Time it was taken seriously and some decent money put up.

Good post.  The only item I would quibble with is the last sentence.  I'm not sure the government (current or next) would wish that local racing implodes.  Rather they would despair that the parties within local racing are so selfish and so parochial that there's no way out of the current death spiral.  So the government will join the successful elements in the domestic racing industry (the breeders and sales agents/traders) in turning their backs on the shambles across the rest. 

The stipes' report from Hastings today is posted in very good time, an hour or so after the final event on a 10 race programme. 
A pity, however, they didn't take another 5 minutes to read through it, to avoid the embarrassment of rubbish such as: D Hirini – (IN DREAMLAND) - [Rule 638(3)(b)(ii)] excessive use of whip prior to the 200m. Suspended from close of racing Saturday 8th July up to and including Friday 4th July (1 day).