Rusty

Look, I know this in the gallops thread... but surely to goodness it should have been posted in the harness racing section?! 
Let's invite the Amish along!! 
Afterall, they have had some influence into the NZ standardbred breeding in recent years. 

Look, I know this in the gallops thread... but surely to goodness it should have been posted in the harness racing section?! 
Let's invite the Amish along!! 
Afterall, they have had some influence into the NZ standardbred breeding in recent years. 

Look, I know this in the gallops thread... but surely to goodness it should have been posted in the harness racing section?! 
Let's invite the Amish along!! 
Afterall, they have had some influence into the NZ standardbred breeding in recent years. 

Look, I know this in the gallops thread... but surely to goodness it should have been posted in the harness racing section?! 
Let's invite the Amish along!! 
Afterall, they have had some influence into the NZ standardbred breeding in recent years. 

The Kaikoura Trotting Club is going to have to hold this event at their South Bay racecourse. Only because this racetrack has the ocean right behind the back straight and all attendees for the day need to sail to the races, no trucks, cars etc allowed. 
Standing starts only, no mobile starts obviously as this isn't environmentally friendly. 
All racegoers on the day get to take home with them a pile of horse poo, to put on their organic gardens when they get home (2-3 days later, depending on sea conditions). It goes without saying, no plastic bags will be given out to get said horse poo home. 
Definitely has merit this idea. I can see it getting off the ground. 

Seems legit.
NZ Herald; 1 December 2018.

Good on ya Shad.
The late, great, Richie Benaud once said; "never bet on anything that can talk." 
I have to agree with Richie there.
Unless of course it is one of those bloody smart horses that can talk. Keep your ear out for them. All too often, one will hear a trainer say to a racing journo or broadcaster: "yeah  nah, we decided to give him (their horse) a brief spell, but he'll tell us when he's ready (to come back into work)."
Smart animals those talking horses. 

Seems legit.
NZ Herald; 1 December 2018.

Never had a sports bet in my life and never will, matter of principle for me, should never been allowed.

Too much racing available for people to bet on........the digital and global scene means there are dozens of meetings every day across the 3 x codes.Folk can bet 364 days a year in most parts of the world at any time of day.
Ditto on sports which is more 'universal' and more 'popular' than horse racing which is limited by many factors and harder to 'learn'.
Horse racing used to 'rule' in NZ where gambling was strictly regulated....in 1987 LOTTO arrived then Casinos !
Lotto has the 'life changing' purses , racing is small fry as too many 'pools' has slaughtered divis.
NZ population is too small ......racing DNA has dwindled !
95% of gamblers lose.....now this happens quicker than previous !
Racing relies on money gambled to fund itself.
NZ still breeds great horses because of the climate etc ,but even that is dropping as money leaking off the merry-go-round.
Racing is going well in Australia ,Hong Kong  and areas with greater population and  more racing/gambling in their DNA.
Our best  racing people can go elsewhere ,ditto our best horses.
We left here with our memories of Phar Lap, Sunline , Show Gate and Grey Way ,and collects off a $1 double which almost bought a house !
Those were the days my friend...........
 

I doubt stakes are going down very much  , a very prominent racing figure said stakes are doubling prior to last year's sales and I guess he knows the inside oil very well. Stakes are doubling , it is written   , in the papers , it's true . 100 per cent sure that it's 60 per cent certain just like Sex Panther cologne. 

I would like to see HRNZ survey owners that sold/ retired horses last year as to the reasons they did so. I'm sure they can access the names of the contact owners and organise it so responses are anonymous. Such a survey may put proof in front of decision makers as to where to target their efforts to retain racing stock. Sure some horses go unsound, owners want to breed from a mare while still relatively young or the money is just too good to refuse.  But how many of us who pay real money to trainers have sold/retired our horse because it is rated uncompetitively and we can't afford to keep on racing it?  The curse of repeatedly running 4th or 5th with no rating change is soul destroying. With sadness we sold our good horse after a whole year with just a single 3rd placing. He still has plenty of racing in him as since sold has had Group placings and Group 3 win in Aussie in the last couple of months. We would have liked to race him till his teens ourselves but he just wasn't paying his way.

I think what these sorts of things continue to show is that the strength of NZ racing is often in the provincial circuits rather than the metropolitan clubs. Sure we need the metropolitan clubs to provide the Derbies etc, but don't continue to blame the country clubs for the failings of the NZ racing industry. I find it hard to comprehend that NZ racing is struggling because of Hokitika, Waimate and Winton. We should celebrate our strengths and not be embarrassed by them. Make the most of our points of difference.
Those early $40,000 races at Trentham this weekend wouldn't even have three dividends if it wasn't for the SI contribution. So don't knock the SI contribution. I bet the WRC is ecstatic to have that form from Waikouaiti and Kurow enhancing their meeting.

He should be the 'poster boy' of NZ racing.Leads jockey premiership by at least 10 wins now. Totalled 8 wins prior to this season !
What a story.....had NO horse experience , and at 18 left Japan to work in Australia to learn English.
He worked as a strawberry picker......got introduced to horses while picking strawberries ,and his passion grew from there.
Basically taught himself , and so keen to learn.
Good on him........a lot more in store for him !

You called it RR. Good to see the stipes picked it up too. Obviously they read your post or blind Freddie told them. 
Just as a comparison, junior driver Sam Thornley had his very first raceday drive at Addington last year. His whip action was really bad. Looked awful. Anyway he went to town whacking the daylights out of his horse and the the horse won. 
He subsequently lost his junior driver licence (immediatley) as a result from that drive and was demoted to a trials only horseman, until he had received further training and education.
One can only hope someone has a quiet word to the jockey in this particular case at Reefton. 

We did for decades when we had no irrigation no problems!! 
now in the last 10-15 years all we do is listen to overcharging suits (Turf Consultants) who have to justify their salaries by coming up with stupid ideas and miracle machines that cost thousands , most of these suits wouldn't even mow their own lawns 

My husband and I enjoyed it and we'd get family to enter too so we had our own little competition even if not in the hunt for the main prize. Good way to get wider group of  people following horses round the country. Did prefer it when went on divvies as then it wasn't just picking AS team.

Has to be cost cutting. Surely. They had to fork out over a grand in gift cards for the most recent competition. 
I was fortunate enough to win some decent coin 3 or 4 times over the years, it was a good concept and provided some extra interest during the season. 
It would be good to see it come back sometime in the future. 

So as others have said, it was inspected and good to go a couple of weeks back. The change is due to the rain falling now? Surely if it was good to go a proviso should have been included in regards to any future significant /substantial rainfall leading up to the meeting. I smell BS.

They do have a finishing post oncourse. If you look closely enough at the photo I posted, you can see it's shadow. Two vertical sticks and a horse shoe style. Now play the CSI theme show music... 

They do have a finishing post oncourse. If you look closely enough at the photo I posted, you can see it's shadow. Two vertical sticks and a horse shoe style. Now play the CSI theme show music... 

They do have a finishing post oncourse. If you look closely enough at the photo I posted, you can see it's shadow. Two vertical sticks and a horse shoe style. Now play the CSI theme show music... 

Thats one of those they had laid out across the width of track at Riccarton mid race a few years back Rusty  exact same  .Ruakaka have a perfectly decent lollipop in storeroom but it's a thing with them now , it must be as these  antics with post must be on purpose for a laugh . Hey have you ever worked for CSI examining cctv footage from crime scenes ,trust me  if not you should as thats a good spot .